Nǐ hǎo, xièxiè ! “Hello and thank you” – Learning mandarin, maths and science at the Spirit International Football Academy (SIFA)

Who would have thought that young, talented soccer players from disadvantaged communities attending the Cape Academy of Maths Science and Technology (CAMST) would be learning Mandarin as part of their curriculum? Yet, this is exactly what our young SIFA players are enjoying.

With more native speakers than any other language, CAMST recognised that Mandarin is fast becoming a requirement to do business globally. But it’s also a language steeped in culture and expression the mastery of which allows one to communicate with 1,2 billion people in a country that has rapidly become a key player in many fields such as technology, tourism, and of course, sport.

South Africa has very strong economic, trade, tourism ties with China, but our sporting linkages are few. So, there is enormous potential for the young SIFA scholars to combine their fabulous footballing talent with a mastery of the wonderful Mandarin language and open up a whole new vista of future sporting and professional opportunity.

And the boys are embracing this with both hands! SIFA scholar Miguel notes enthusiastically,

“Learning Mandarin at school has been exciting! I love learning the characters and tones, and it’s amazing to think about how I can use it to communicate with people from different cultures. It’s also cool to learn about Chinese culture and traditions. I’m enjoying it so far and I’m looking forward to learning more!

It’s great to learn another language you don’t know, it can be confusing, but the teacher helps us very well.”

While Mandarin opens unique future opportunities for the SIFA scholars, the core of their education at CAMST is maths and science. As SIFA scholar Thaakier comments,

“What I enjoy about maths and science is that it’s more challenging than the other subjects and I like challenges. Linear equations have been the most exciting topic in Math because it was something I’ve never learnt before and balancing equations has been the most exciting topic in science because once I understood it, it was a fun topic.”

Well done SIFA scholars, your footballing and academic growth is inspiring!