Beijing, Nov 25 (CTK special correspondent) – Prague´s Charles University is considering setting up a scientific centre focusing on China and the possible Chinese participation is being negotiated about, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said in his address at Peking University yesterday.
A dozen experts from Czech, Chinese and international universities would work in the planned centre. Support for this plan has been sought, said Sobotka, currently on an official visit to China.
He said the present cooperation between Czech and Chinese universities had good results, however, it could be broader.
Sobotka said agreement on the mutual recognition of Czech and Chinese academic diplomas needed to be reached.
He said he would be meeting the Chinese education minister during his visit this week.
Peking University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Six Czechs students from Prague´s Charles University study there now.
Charles University rector Tomas Zima, who is visiting Beijing this week as well, said an inter-governmental agreement on the mutual recognition of diplomas is being drafted.
Zima also said promotion of study in the Czech Republic was crucial. “Many people think that university study is possible in our country only in Czech, but we have 170 accredited programmes in English, for example,” he said.
Charles University took part in a Chinese education fair in October and visitors were interested in Czech universities very much, Zima said.
Thirty-five Chinese students study at Charles University at present. Czech students show great interest in Chinese studies.
At Peking University yesterday, Sobotka said he would like to encourage more Czech students to learn Chinese.
“If we wanted to develop further relations in future, we need more students who speak Chinese. I suppose that the Czech government could take an initiative and agree with the private sector on sponsoring Chinese classes and stipends for students in China,” he said.
A 22-year-old Chinese student, who uses the Czech name Sarka and has been studying Czech for four years in Beijing, said she would like to study in the Czech Republic and then probably become an interpreter.
Sarka studied one year in Prague already. Czech language seemed to her very hard to study because of its grammar, she said after Sobotka´s address.
kva/dr/rtj
