Celebrating a decade of Mandarin education in schools in Edinburgh

That this House celebrates a decade of Mandarin education in schools across Edinburgh, delivered through a partnership between local schools in the independent and state sector and the Swire Chinese Language Foundation; notes that participating schools include George Watson’s College, Boroughmuir High School, Castlebrae Community High School, James Gillespie’s High School, Queensferry High School and Tynecastle High School; welcomes the contribution this programme has made to widening access to language learning and helping to close the opportunity gap; recognises the importance of equipping young people with skills in widely spoken global languages such as Mandarin, spoken by over one billion people worldwide, and the benefits this brings for cultural understanding as well as the UK’s future economic and diplomatic opportunities; commends the achievements, resilience and commitment of pupils undertaking this challenging area of study; and pays tribute to the teachers, staff and educational partners whose dedication has made this decade of progress possible and continues to broaden young people’s horizons.