TANGERANG - Fifteen students at Caiming Mandarin Education Centre in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta paid full attention to the teacher, Ms Herlina Kho, as she posed questions.
"Do you know what the teacher likes to eat?" she asked in Mandarin.
A few students immediately raised their hands.
"Vegetables," a student answered in Mandarin.
"Fruits," another said, also in Mandarin.
In response to another question about who can write the words "ping guo" (apple), a girl walked towards the white board and wrote the Chinese characters.
Ms Herlina invited the entire class, which comprised children aged 10 to 15, to applaud her.
A growing number of young Indonesians have been learning the Chinese language as China and Indonesia moved closer economically in recent years, said operators of Chinese language education centres. Bilateral trade has been rising steeply and much more Chinese investment has been flowing into South-east Asia's largest economy.
The children who took up Chinese language classes are mostly ethnic Chinese Indonesians. The ethnic group totalled 2.8 million, or 1.2 per cent of the country's population of 238 million, according to the 2010 census.
Their parents, while hoping their children can connect with Chinese culture, also see Mandarin proficiency as a ticket to better job opportunities in the future.
Ms Xian Ruslan, a Chinese Indonesian, enrolled her three sons, now aged 11, 15 and 17, in a trilingual school, which stresses Mandarin as a "strong second language", and also in a Chinese language centre for extra lessons.
"Mandarin is a very difficult language to learn, especially in Indonesia where the exposure to it is almost zero," the 47-year-old told The Sunday Times.
Ms Xian, who was educated in Singapore when she was a child, speaks Mandarin and sets "higher standards" for her children.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 26, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 26, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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