The 2026 Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) Chinese Language Teacher Training Program for Europe and Oceania, organized by the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) and hosted by the Chinese Language Center at Chung Yuan Christian University (CYCU), concluded successfully with a graduation ceremony held on July 17 at the Hsiu-Te Hall of the Chang Ching-Yu Memorial Library on the CYCU campus.
Following 12 days of intensive professional development, comprising 69 hours of coursework and educational and cultural field visits, 35 overseas Chinese language teachers from 11 countries across Europe and Oceania completed the program. Equipped with innovative AI-powered teaching strategies, digital pedagogical skills, and a deeper appreciation of Taiwanese culture, the participants are now prepared to bring renewed energy and fresh perspectives to Chinese language education in their home countries.
During the closing ceremony, Chen Po-Chin, Deputy Director General of the Department of Overseas Chinese Education at the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC), congratulated the 35 participants on completing the program. She noted that this year’s curriculum featured a rich combination of AI-assisted lesson planning, classroom management, and, for the first time, singing bowl sound therapy and micro yoga sessions. Participants also visited the National Palace Museum, the Taipei Music Center, and the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, experiencing Taiwan’s integration of technological innovation and cultural diversity. Chen encouraged the teachers to apply what they had learned in their overseas classrooms and expressed her appreciation to CYCU for its attentive care during the typhoon as well as to the instructors for smoothly transitioning to online teaching, ensuring the successful completion of the program.
Ou Te-Fen, Director of the Chinese Language Center at CYCU, thanked the OCAC for its trust and the participants for their enthusiastic engagement. Although the program was challenged by a typhoon, she noted that the university team worked closely with the OCAC to activate contingency measures promptly, allowing all intensive courses to be completed successfully. Ou emphasized that the program had strengthened the partnership between the OCAC, Europe, Oceania, and CYCU. She added that graduation marks not an ending but the beginning of a lasting connection, with CYCU committed to continuing its support for overseas Chinese language teachers through teaching consultation and educational services in the years ahead.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Kang Xin, a teacher from Brisbane, Australia, said the two-week program had been both professionally enriching and personally rejuvenating. Participants gained practical skills in AI-assisted lesson planning and classroom management, while the newly introduced wellness sessions—including singing bowl sound therapy and micro yoga—provided valuable opportunities to recharge amid their demanding teaching responsibilities. Cultural experiences were equally memorable: discussions of Hakka cuisine evoked heartfelt memories of home, and a visit to the Taipei Music Center inspired participants to sing along to familiar melodies, creating a powerful sense of cultural connection.
Kang added that participants would bring the knowledge and inspiration gained during the program back to their local communities, applying new teaching strategies in their classrooms while promoting the International Digital Learning Companion Program and educational study tours to Taiwan, encouraging more overseas students to experience Taiwan’s rich cultural diversity and educational excellence.
