NEW DELHI: India and China have inked a new deal that will see the introduction of Mandarin as a foreign language options in India. The Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said on Friday that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese government to facilitate the move to boost Mandarin learning for Indian students. According to the CBSE, “China will train 300 teachers at its language universities as a start and will see the exchange of academic staff, teachers, trainees, experts and students in future.” The agreement also will deliver new curriculum for Mandarin teaching and the two countries reportedly will exchange education material to support the new program, the Press Trust of India reported. Indian Ambassador S Jaishankar described the move “as an important step towards building a closer ties between the two countries. “The initiative came at a time when efforts are underway to form a strategic partnership, expand trade and economic cooperation and working together on global issues,” he said. The project had been in the works for nearly two years, the ambassador said.
