Future Leader Program, an opportunity to learn Chinese

As the Chinese language becomes more popular, many foreign students are coming to China to learning Chinese. In 2010, the Chinese government will supply twenty thousand scholarships to students who want to learn Chinese, 2000 scholarships more than that of last year. However, there are also many foreign students who cannot come to China to learn Chinese, so a unique Chinese program recently launched by eChineseLearning, a leading online Chinese school, provides them a unique opportunity to learn Chinese from the comfort of their own home.

The unique program, named Future Leader Program (FLP), aims to help more foreign students have more opportunities to learn Chinese. It identifies and prepares talented and accomplished students in middle schools, high schools and universities from around the world for service in society and for their future professions. The most accomplished students will be awarded a scholarship for a Chinese language program in recognition of their academic excellence and leadership potential. As long as you possess these qualities, you can apply for the scholarship and have a chance to enroll in eChineseLearning"s acclaimed one-on-one online Chinese programs.

Jesse Bolton, who is a native of Atlanta, GA in the U.S. and entered Beijing Jiaotong University to study Chinese in 2007, said: "I came to China to study with the help of scholarships and I was glad to have the financial support to study in China. I think the Future Leader Program is very beneficial since many of my schoolmates are interested in China, but are unable to make the trip to China. This program can provide them with a great opportunity to learn Chinese in their spare time while at home in the states. I think that if more students knew about this program, they"d see what a good chance this is for learning Mandarin."

However, not everyone is as enthusiastic. Some students don"t see the programs as easily accessible. Jack, a student from Hawaii, said, "There are many students in my hometown want to come to China, and although the future leader program offers an alternative to learn Chinese, not all students have the same opportunity." Melissa Syneuni from London also agrees: "All these kinds of programs are good to us, but the supply falls short of demand. So we all hope to be able to take advantage of more good policies and programs."

Betty Kim from San Mateo, California commented: "Last year, I applied for a study-abroad program in China, but didn"t get accepted. Now my passion for China and learning Chinese has increased and I"m planning to apply again this year, but unfortunately, I cannot take a leave from school. While it has its own limitations, the future leader program from eChineseLearning has offered a great alternative for me because I can learn Chinese without having to go to China. Hopefully more these types of programs will be offered."