Septerianie Sutanidi's dream of passing on her enthusiasm to learn Chinese has become a reality, with more and more of her Indonesian students applying to study in China.

"I was always fascinated by this ancient civilization but never thought I could be a Chinese teacher in my own country," said the 27-year-old Indonesian, who went to Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, on a university degree program that trains foreigners to teach Chinese to students in their own countries.

After her graduation in 2013 with a master's degree, Sutanidi returned home to work in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at the Maranatha Christian University of Indonesia, which was founded in 1965.

She taught students about her experience in China, and saw that many wanted to follow in her footsteps.

Guo Lijun, deputy director of the College of International Culture Exchange at Hebei Normal University said, "Foreign teachers have promoted Chinese education in their own countries."

The university launched the program in 2009. It gives financial support to foreign students with a bachelor's degree and basic knowledge of Chinese. Their tuition is exempt from fees and they get 1,700 yuan ($280) a month to cover expenses.

In addition to their study, the program participants are required to teach Chinese students for six months or longer before their graduation.

After two years' study, they receive a degree for Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, the authoritative qualification for foreigners to teach at colleges, senior schools or training centers.

"After the project launched, we witnessed an increase in students, especially from Southeast Asian countries," said Guo, adding that Indonesia, South Korea and Ukraine are the major sources of students.

Only two universities in Hebei province can accept students under this program. The project at Hebei Normal University attracted 21 students in 2013, up from 13 in 2012.

Many students from Indonesia want to further study Chinese thanks to local Chinese teachers like Sutanidi, but the restrictions mean that no more than five students from a country can take part each year.

To attract more foreign students in majors besides languages, Hebei Normal University will offer more scholarships.

At the university, more than 150 foreign students from 34 countries are divided into nine majors, including languages and culture, but also in cuisine and animation.

The central government also adopted a series of measures to attract foreign students to study in China, with greater financing and more majors, aiming to increase the number from 330,000 in 2013 to around 500,000 in 2020.

(China Daily USA 02/05/2014 page4)