US amends directive on Confucius Institutes

WASHINGTON - The US Department of State on Friday reassured the US universities in collaboration with Confucius Institutes that it will help fix the visa mess-up for Chinese language teachers in need and make sure nobody is required to leave the country.

Fix mess-up

The US Department of State clarified two key points in the new guidance directive that were quite confusing and controversial to many US universities in sponsorship for Confucius Institutes' Chinese teachers in the initial version issued on May 17.

On the J-1 visa issue, the department said in the new version, "Exchange visitors sponsored by university or college sponsors who are teaching in primary or secondary schools are not required to depart the United Sates at the end of this academic year, unless that was their intended date of departure."

The initial directive stated that any academics at university-based institutes who are teaching at the primary and secondary-school levels (K-12) are violating the terms of their visas and expected to return China at the end of the current academic school year in June to apply for appropriate visas.

There are two categories of J-1 education visa  - one is for teachers in kindergartens through high schools while the other is for professors and scholars at university level. The department said some exchange visitors who were participating and teaching in programs that were K-12 level were given university-style J-1 visas.

But the department vowed on Friday to work with sponsors to ensure that those Chinese language teachers get visas in the proper category.

On Confucius Institutes' accreditation issue, the new version said, "When conducting university or college-based activities with Confucius Institutes, a college or university's sponsors accreditation is sufficient to comply with the regulations."

The State Department said in its initial directive that the Confucius Institutes should obtain separate US accreditation.

Chinese-US consultation

US Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland stressed Friday during a daily briefing that the department will fix the mess-up "in a manner that doesn't require anybody who is still within status to leave."

She said the department will work with "either schools or individuals" that need the change of visa status.

Nuland acknowledged the department regretted the fact that "the first notice was not our best work" and the officials "have now endeavored to fix this."

The Chinese Embassy in the United States has been in good consultation with the US State Department over the controversial issues that are related to the initial directive and have affected the Mandarin-teaching Confucius Institutes, said Fang Maotian, an education counselor from the embassy.

Fang told reporters on Friday that the Chinese embassy reached out to the US State Department as soon as the May 17 directive was issued, and expressed their deep concern to the US side in a meeting on Thursday.

He noted that the Chinese side is expecting the issues to be addressed appropriately and settled as soon as possible without affecting the development of Confucius Institutes' Chinese-teaching programs.

Robin Lerner, deputy assistant secretary for Private Sector Exchange of the US State Department, reassured the embassy officials during the meeting that the US side well valued the US-Chinese cultural exchange programs, and the J-1 visa issue was raised simply after "a routine inspection" earlier this year on foreign teachers and professors in universities, Fang said.

He said the US side also agreed to fix the mess-up case by case, help those exchange visitors in need of a change of visa status and assist the US visa sponsors to facilitate the materials required.

Chinese learning popular

Cui Jianxin, deputy director of Confucius Institute with the University of Maryland, the first of this kind in the country, told Xinhua that they welcome the amended guidance directive by the US State Department and expect the development of Chinese-learning program in the next academic school year not to be affected.

Cui said local people, particularly children and teenagers, have shown surging interest in the Chinese language over the past eight years since his institute was set up.

He said he was quite surprised by the fact that altogether over 400 people participated in two HSK Chinese Language Tests and two Youth Chinese Tests for K-12 students held in the institute so far this year, much more than last year.

Qing Gao, managing director of Confucius Institute at George Mason University, told Xinhua that Confucius Institutes have been well welcomed by US schools and communities, amid a growing consensus on the importance of global education for the country's next generation.

Even the State Department acknowledged in its initial directive that it "appreciates the significant work done by US academic institutions and Confucius Institutes," which benefits the enhancement of cultural exchange.

Confucius Institutes around the world are nonprofit public institutions jointly established by the Confucius Institute Headquarters, or Hanban, and Chinese colleges and high schools with foreign educational institutions, with the aim to teach the Chinese language and promote cultural exchanges overseas.

The United States currently has the largest number of Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms in the world, with 81 institutes and 299 classrooms in 48 states. Many US universities have sponsored such institutes and classrooms on their campuses with nearly 160,000 registered learners.