Current News

17 to 26 September 2011, government officials from Yunnan Provincial Ethnic Affairs Commission, Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office, Kunming Municipal Public Security Bureau to visit SIL International and GIAL in Dallas, JAARS in Waxhaw and Canada Institute of Linguistics in Vancouver.  In this visit, they had the opportunity to interact with our colleagues in US and Canada. The government officials expressed much appreciation on this trip.  The program was packed with information.  They were very impressed with expertise and IT programs that presented SIL's leadership in the technical arena. 

(July 2011) The Yunnan Ministry of Education gathered a panel of experts at the Xiaojie Manbie Complete Primary School in Jinghong City, Yunnan, China, on 2 June. They met to evaluate the Dai Bilingual Education Project, a joint effort of the Yunnan Institute of Education, the Jinghong City Education Bureau and SIL East Asia. The experts heard a report from Deputy Director Liao of the Board of Education, reviewed case files, participated in a panel discussion and conducted interviews with teachers, parents and officials.

(July 2011) About 70 provincial officials from various government bodies visited the Zero Barrier Jianchuan Bai project from 3-6 May 2011. Many of these officials are minority language experts who are themselves members of minority language communities. Because of what they learned during their visit, many expressed an intention to partner with SIL East Asia. The meeting was featured on local TV and in the Ethnic Times newspaper.

(July 2011) On 31 May at Jianchuan Shilong Village Primary School in Yunnan Province, China, a group of education experts from the Yunnan Ministry of Education convened to evaluate the Bai Bilingual Education Project. Elizabeth Lee, Program Director for the SIL East Asia Zero Barrier Bilingual Education Program, reported on the project’s progress.
After reviewing case files, conducting interviews, and taking part in a panel discussion, the experts concluded: