China has opened the first training center for Confucius Institute teachers on April 9, Thursday, which was established in a Beijing university.
Xinhua News Agency reported that the teachers and volunteers of Confucius Institutes in different countries will receive their language and culture training in Beijing Language and Culture University.
The report said that the university is designed to accommodate and train 3,500 teachers and volunteers each year.
A spokesperson of the university told the media that branches will be established overseas and online training will also be conducted.
The university spokesperson said that the center was established with the primary aim to standardize the examination for those who wanted to teach to foreigners, as well as to improve the quality of the teaching pool.
The Confucius Institute derived its name from the renowned educator and philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C.). Under China's Ministry of Education policy, the institutes are non-profit institutions established with the aim to promote Chinese language and culture abroad, support the teaching of the Chinese language internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges with other countries.
Other countries also have their own language and culture centers such as Britain's British Council, Germany's Goethe-Institut and France's Alliance Francaise.
But Confucius Institute differs since it works in partnership with established universities, colleges and secondary schools around the world, and shares the financing for teachers and educational materials with host organizations.
China set up the first institute in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, in 2004. Based on last year's record, the government had opened 476 Confucius Institutes in 127 countries and regions.
The Hanban or the Office of Chinese Language Council International oversees the institute program, which is governed by a council made up of top-level members from the Communist Party of China leadership and various state ministries.