More French schools offering Mandarin classes  

法國中小學開學漢語受捧 26個教區全部開設中文課

(ECNS) -- The year 2013 has witnessed a growing demand for learning Mandarin from French students, as the French Ministry of Education required Chinese classes cover 26 regions in the country.

As students in France ushered in a new semester on Sept 3, a total of 33,500 middle school students and 4,500 primary school students signed up for Mandarin classes, according to statistics released by French newspaper Le Monde on Sept 4.

The number is an increase of 10 percent from 2012.

The ministry recruited 40 more Chinese teachers, according to Joel Bellassen, an official at the ministry.

The motivation for most Mandarin learners in France is job-oriented. They study Chinese for better jobs, said Catherine Meuwese, a Mandarin teacher at a French middle school.

Meuwese's opinion was echoed by Alice Ekman, an expert of Sinology at the French Institute of International Relations.

The number of Mandarin learners has been on the increase as China overtook the UK and US and emerged as the top destination for European immigrants, Ekman added.