DUSHANBE, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The second International Teaching Excellence Competition for Chinese Language Teachers in Central Asia kicked off Friday in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.

Hosted by the Confucius Institute at Tajik National University, the event featured sessions on course design, teaching demonstrations, and on-site Q&A. Eleven participants represented Confucius Institutes in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Guo Zhijun said in his speech that Chinese language teachers are not only disseminators of language but also messengers of cultural exchanges, bearing the mission of fostering mutual understanding and friendship between peoples.

He expressed confidence that the competition would help cultivate a highly qualified and professional international Chinese-teaching workforce and inject fresh momentum into the global development of Chinese-language education.

Rajabzoda Faridun, vice rector of the university, said the school attaches great importance to Chinese language teaching and research, adding that it hopes to use this event as an opportunity to explore new models of Chinese education and to train more outstanding teachers proficient in Chinese and familiar with Chinese culture.

The first International Teaching Excellence Competition for Chinese Language Teachers in Central Asia was held in 2024 at the university's Confucius Institute. Currently, there are 13 Confucius Institutes in Central Asia, serving as key platforms for promoting people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and the region. ■