Mandarin learning a world hip

US TODAY reports that Chinese language learning is booming in the States:
Nationwide, there are Chinese programs in more than 550 elementary, junior high and senior high school, a 100% increase in two years, according to The Asia Society, an education group. In May, when the College Board offered Mandarin AP exams for the first time, 3,261 high school students took the test.At the college level, enrollment in Chinese-language classes has increased 51% since 2002, according to the Modern Language Association, a language and literature education organization.The problem of not having enough Mandarin teachers is universal. Let alone the US, Hong Kong is having difficulty finding enough qualified Mandarin teachers too. Wall Street Journal reports earlier that there's a worldwide shortage of MSL (Mandarin as a Second Language) instructors given the demand for learning the language soars in every corner of the world.

In 1981, the USA's oldest Mandarin immersion elementary school program was launched. The private Chinese American International School (CAIS) in San Francisco began with four students ; it now has 420 from preschool through eighth grade.Interest in it has soared recently, says headmaster Andrew Corcoran. Despite the school's $18,000 annual tuition, it has seen a 300% increase in applications during the past three years.The growth of Mandarin programs is creating a new problem: a lack of qualified teachers. There are only 10 university programs nationwide that offer teaching credentials for Mandarin at the grade-school levels, and most of the programs are new, Ning says.