A global gong for the University of Newcastle’s Confucius Institute

The University of Newcastle’s (UON) Confucius Institute has received global recognition for its success in teaching Chinese language and culture in Australia and Oceania.

Named a 2016 Confucius Institute of the Year by the People’s Republic of China, the prestigious annual award is only offered to a select few institutes worldwide and solidifies the Institute as a leader in its field. Hosted by UON, the Institute is operated in partnership with Central China Normal University in Wuhan, China.

Actively involved in the community, the Confucius Institute supports principals, teachers and school communities to create opportunities for students to engage with Chinese culture and improve their literacy skills.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International and Advancement), Mrs Winnie Eley, emphasised the importance of promoting cultural awareness at both a global and regional level, in order to enhance cross-cultural appreciation and understanding.

“With over 500 Confucius Institutes in 134 countries, the achievement is wonderful recognition of the outstanding work being undertaken to deliver high quality Chinese literacy programs in the Hunter, the Central Coast and regional NSW.

“Now a proven leader on a global scale, we can further celebrate excellent performance promoting Chinese language and culture to our region, as well as enhancing Australia-China relations through education to trade, together with our community partners. A special note of thanks goes to the two directors of the Confucius Institute, Mr Jonathan Yi and Mr Rhys Palmer.

“I am very proud to be a part of UON, which plays its academic and social citizen role in our communities by raising awareness and embracing the importance of international culture through language teaching and cultural programme in the communities,” Mrs Eley said.

Established in 2011, the UON Confucius Institute is one of 14 institutes in Australia as part of the global Confucius Institute program. As part of the University's International and Advancement Division, the Institute also plays a major role in UON’s engagement with China.

UON proudly supports the Institute’s ongoing relationships with communities, volunteers, supporters and partners in the annual Newcastle China Festival, Newcastle Grammar School and Whitebridge High School.

Mrs Eley accepted the award on behalf of UON at the 11th Global Confucius Institute Conference, held in Kunming, China.

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