Uttarakhand government schoolkids say 'ni hao' to Mandarin

DEHRADUN: 'Ni hao' is as good as 'namaste' for 250-odd students of Class 11 and 12 in 15 govt schools of Uttarakhand, thanks to

Doon University

's initiative to teach them Mandarin, the official language of China. The aim: to equip them with "language skills to tap into global job markets while also supporting

national security interests

amid ongoing border tensions with China".
The project was initiated by

Pauri Garhwal DM Ashish Chauhan

in 2023, following discussions between former CDS Gen Bipin Rawat and Doon University VC Surekha Dangwal in 2021.
"This is the first time in India that Mandarin is being taught in govt schools under such an initiative," said Shanky Chandra, HoD (Chinese Studies) at Doon University.
The project began on a pilot basis in 2023, and the positive response from students encouraged us to continue.”

Chandra added: “Currently, the programme runs in 15 PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) schools, which have online teaching facilities, as we lack, as of now, the required resources for physical classes.”
Fluency in Mandarin — a language with over 50,000 characters — typically requires mastery of at least 3,000 to 5,000 characters, and the intricate writing system and tonal nature of it make it one of the most challenging languages to learn.
Chandra, an alumnus of Harvard University, emphasised the project’s potential for creating employment opportunities. “Learning Mandarin will significantly improve job prospects as China is one of India’s largest trade partners. Last year, three of our students who passed Class 12 secured well-paying jobs in the neighbouring country solely due to their language skills.”
He said, “Many other opportunities open up as interpreters and translators are hired by the ministry of external affairs and even private companies. Plans are also in place to offer foreign scholarships based on student proficiency tests.”
Another faculty member of the university said the experiment could extend beyond economic opportunities and prove beneficial for the country’s national security interests. “Given the border issues with China, there is a growing demand for Mandarin-speaking personnel in defence establishments and security operations. These students could play a crucial role in fulfiling these needs in the future,” he told TOI, requesting anonymity.
Commending the efforts of the university, Dangwal said, “We are putting our best into helping the children develop foreign language skills. This initiative has the potential to expand.”