A stronger link between Scotland and China is the aim of a planned visit to the Far East by the education secretary, Fiona Hyslop, reports the Scotsman. News of the trip emerged as Ms Hyslop prepared today to meet Scottish students who will take part in Easter and summer schools in China.
Increasing numbers of schools […]

The Scotsman reports that pupils at a Lothians high school are forging links with China ahead of this year’s Beijing Olympics.
Bathgate Academy is pairing up with Weifang Middle School - built on the site of the Japanese internment camp in which Edinburgh sprinter Eric Liddell died.
The pupils will also take part in workshops on Chinese […]

A Bute language teacher has been so successful in establishing links with overseas schools that she has been appointed as an ambassador for the British Council. Cathy McKirdy, who teaches languages to pupils at all the island’s primary schools, will support schools across the country in their attempts to develop overseas partnerships of their own.
Read […]

A university department to promote Chinese culture and language and strengthen business links with Wales has officially opened, the BBC reports.
The Confucius Institute, named after the Chinese philosopher, is based at Cardiff University.
With 73 similar institutes in Europe, it is the second to be opened in Wales.
Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy said the institute was ‘hugely […]

The BBC reports that trainee teachers in England who will provide compulsory language lessons in primary schools are benefiting from a month’s placement abroad, say inspectors.
The government wants England’s primary pupils to have modern language lessons but there have been concerns about a lack of suitably qualified staff.
Student teachers are spending a month in schools in […]

A delegation from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education visited Tollcross Primary School in Edinburgh last week to observe how Scottish schools combine English and Gaelic teaching in a bid to revive the teaching of their own native languages. Afghanistan has two official languages, Dari and Pashto, but the government wants to support the 30 other languages […]

The Education Guardian reports that the Prime Minister announced today a global fellowship programme, which will see 100 school and college leavers each year visiting some of the major countries in the new global economy, such as Brazil, China and India.
The £1.4m a year programme, developed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the British […]

Edinburgh’s Confucius Institute has been hailed a role model for similar establishments around the world, the Scotsman reports. The Edinburgh University institute - set up to promote the Chinese language and culture in Scotland - was honoured in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
Read more on the Scotsman website.

CILT Cymru have announced that 150 French schools have registered on Global Gateway this term (including 40 primaries). If you wish to make contact, e-mail partnerfinding@globalgateway.org.

This series of articles on the Education Guardian website talks about International Education and languages, globalism and sustainability.
Topics covered include:

International Education Week
International School Award
Globalism/Sustainability
Professional development
 Middle East links

Read more on the Education Guardian website.