Confucius say...

Shortly after becoming Gaffney High valedictorian, Peter Johnson participated in Furman's inaugural Summer China Experience program.

The 2005 trip was part of an academic program at Furman to encourage incoming freshmen to learn more about the world's most populated country. The university paid the costs of the students' transportation, lodging and meals.

The only requirement was students take three Chinese language courses during their freshman year.

"I love languages," Johnson said in a 2005 interview with The Gaffney Ledger. "It's always been an interest of mine to learn about Oriental cultures."

There has been limited opportunity for Cherokee County students to learn about Chinese culture over the years. A lack of interest has prevented Chinese from being among the foreign language offerings in the Cherokee County School District.

This could change in a few years with this month's announcement that five colleges statewide will participate in a Chinese culture exchange program through the Confucius Institute. It is designed to provide additional education opportunities for students to learn the Chinese language and learn more about China.

The University of South Carolina, Presbyterian College, Wofford College, Clemson University and Furman University are in the planning stages to start a Chinese culture program next fall. The new emphasis on Chinese programs could spill over to impact public schools located around the universities.

"The Confucius Institute comes at a time when student enrollment in Chinese literature and culture courses at the university has tripled in the last two years and student participation and interest in study-abroad programs in China are at an all-time high," said Dr. Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina.

China is one of four countries that have established teacher exchange programs with the S.C. Department of Education. The other countries are Spain, India and France.

The Cherokee County School District obtained three teachers from Spain through a teacher exchange program in 2003. Spanish and French have traditionally been the primary foreign languages offered at Gaffney and Blacksburg high schools.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Linda Sellars said the Cherokee County School District will keep an eye on the Chinese culture exchange program and could look into offering Chinese on a limited basis in the future.

"We have tried offering German and Japanese at various times. The demand for it comes and goes," Sellars said. "There is a possibility that we could offer Chinese as an online course some time in the future. It's doubtful, though, that there would be enough student interest to justify hiring a full-time teacher to teach Chinese in the schools."