EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Scotland's first Confucius classroom was officially opened here Friday where more school pupils in Edinburgh are to be taught Chinese language and culture.

    The Confucius classroom Hub for the City of Edinburgh at St George's School was opened by the Lord Provost George Grubb and will be used as a resource center for pupils studying Mandarin and Chinese culture.

    When opening the classroom, the Lord Provost said: "Learning about Chinese culture is very important for young people today to understand the links between their lives and the lives of others throughout the world."

    "I am delighted to open this project, which is of personal great interest to me as the Lady Provost was born in Hong Kong and lived there until she left to go to university in Edinburgh in 1954," the Lord Provost said.

    Councilor Marilyne MacLaren, Convener for Education, Children and Families, said on the occasion "This is a very exciting new project which has been initiated by the Administration in Edinburgh. This partnership will provide a fantastic opportunity for more school pupils in Edinburgh to learn Mandarin, which is fast becoming an internationally spoken language."

    "It is essential that young people growing up in the 21st century today are educated about other major players in world affairs," the councilor said.

    St George's School Head Teacher Judith McClure said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with other Edinburgh schools on this extremely important initiative. International education is vital for today's global economy and the Hub will give pupils the opportunity to work together to experience the rich possibilities of Chinese language and culture. It will be a lively place for learning and interaction and will allow teachers to share resources and good practice."

    The first schools to benefit from this will be St George's and six other City of Edinburgh Council secondary schools such as Balerno, Firrhill, James Gillespie's, Currie, Leith, Trinity and Broughton.

    The Confucius classroom is funded by the Chinese Government and will be delivered in partnership with Learning and Teaching Scotland and will be supported by the network of Confucius Classroom Hubs in Scotland where eight Confucius classrooms have been planned to be set up.