The Association for Barbados China Friendship Mandarin Tutorial Program is an element of our two associations’ Study in China initiative. The aims of the initiative are:
The Mandarin tutorial program is a year-long program to address the specific problem of the Mandarin language requirement that has arisen with respect to the Chinese scholarship applications. Until recently, applicants for Chinese scholarships who did not have sufficient competence in Mandarin were admitted for a preparatory year of language training. However, students who have inquired about scholarships for the academic year beginning this autumn have been advised that they will need to have competence in Mandarin to the HSK3 level. There is now an urgent need to provide interested students with the language training needed to reach this level.
The free Mandarin tutorial program is specifically designed to provide this training. The ABCF has received a grant from the Emergent Ventures Fund of the Mercatus Center, Virginia, USA, sufficient to fund 15 students to HSK3 level so that they may qualify for scholarships. The grant proceeds will be placed in a Mandarin Tutorial Fund with Floyd Phillips Attorneys for the ABCF. The BCRSA will provide qualified language teachers whose services will be paid for from this fund.
The candidates for tutorials will be chosen by the ABCF on criteria of age and Mandarin language skills, using information compiled by the Coordinator of the Study in China initiative. Details of the arrangements for the administration of the program and disbursements of funds are provided in an attached note.
The program will commence on Monday March 23, 2026.
The ABCF Mandarin tutorials are an emergency program to ensure that we have 15 or more qualified applicants for scholarships by the end of this year. In parallel with this program the study in China committee will pursue permanent solutions for language training in discussion with the Confucius Institute, the Barbados-China Returned Scholars Association, the Barbados Community College, the Caribbean Examinations Council and individual schools. We also hope that, on successful completion of the current year’s tutorials, we will be able to renew the grant from the Emergent Ventures Fund, since it may be some time before more permanent alternatives can be put in place.
March 16, 2026
The ABCF mission is to build a deeper understanding between the Chinese people and Barbadians and Caribbean people from all walks of life. The association’s focus is on personal experiences, people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and exchanges of ideas, and the facilitation of travel, business and study. From the outset we aim to learn from and build on the experiences of the Caribbean and China, and to develop mutual understandings and support that will be to the benefit of both sides.
