What specific funding is available to local authorities for the teaching of Chinese language classes.

The Scottish Executive has provided£346,000 over three years (2005-08) to the British Council Scotland to promote andadminister a Scotland-China School Links Initiative, where up to 120 young Scotscan learn Chinese and experience Chinese culture and way of life. The initiativealso encourages Chinese Language Assistants to come to Scotland to teachChinese and assists graduates from Scotland to travel to China as English language assistants. Further school linksare being established through funding head teachers/teachers from Scottish schoolsto travel to China for one week visits, to establish new school links. Thereis also funding for head teachers and teachers to visit their partner schools toensure that links can be consolidated and developed. Information, including applicationprocedures are on the British Council Scotland website:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/scotland.htm.
The £4 million annual fundinggiven to education authorities in 2006-07 for language learning and teaching canalso be used by them to support the teaching of Chinese.