Ye Yulan, president of Spain Madrid Chinese School [File photo]

Wenzhou native Ye Yulan, 76, president of Spain Madrid Chinese School, is one of those teachers who are most dedicated to Chinese education in foreign countries.

Spain Madrid Chinese School, one of the largest Chinese schools in Europe with a history of more than 20 years, is largely a product of Ye's unremitting efforts.

At the age of 53, Ye applied to establish the school in the name of the Overseas Chinese Association of Spain in 1996, hoping to create a platform where descendants of Chinese immigrants could learn Chinese culture, language and literature. At that time there were common complaints that the children of overseas Chinese were not able to speak or read Chinese and even had difficulty in communicating with their parents due to a lack of Chinese education.

At the beginning, the school had only four classes, four teachers and 70 students and, among many challenges, they had to move several times to find the best location. Today, there are 32 Chinese teachers who serve 31 classes and more than 800 students.

"Our students can now listen to, speak and write Chinese fairly well," said Yu. "Since 2005, dozens of students have taken Chinese Proficiency Tests (HSK) every year, many of them passing at the highest level six.

"In addition, more than 350 students have participated in the Chinese Teenager Essay Contest and two-thirds have won prizes."

Ye said she is happy to see her students become aware of their roots in the East and eager to serve their motherland after they grow up.

Many graduates from the school now work in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, while others work for the Spanish government, according to Ye.

The school was rated as the first overseas Chinese education demonstration school by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council. Ye Yulan herself was given the Overseas Chinese Teacher Excellence Award and other honorary titles.