Cathy Mo

    Mchengmail@tom.com

    MAX-C Creative Art Education Center, an art training center in Bantian Subdistrict of Shenzhen’s Longgang District, has enlisted a Frenchman into its faculty in a bid to add an international touch to the center.

    “With Michel Saja as our art teacher, the children can not only learn art techniques from him but also get a glimpse of international art concepts,” Zhao Manxi, art director of the center, told Shenzhen Daily on Friday. “As well, the children will have the chance to pick up some French and English words and sentences,” Zhao added.

    In the wake of the English-language training boom over the past decade in Shenzhen, the art training sector has seen a rising trend in the involvement of expat teachers.

    Yang Mythos Art Education, a major art training center in Shenzhen, has recruited five expat teachers for its international program. “The expat teachers speak English while instructing the students during all classes,” Cao Yi, an employee with the center, said yesterday. “This will help the students prepare for their future studies and better adapt to the environment in foreign countries,” she said.

    According to official statistics, the population of children under the age of 12 currently has hit about 120 million in China, generating roughly a 100-billion-yuan (US$15.04 billion) market for the sector of art education alone. This demand is expected to bring more opportunities for the development of training services all across China.