Curro Waterfall. A South African learner, Dhiasha Naidoo of Curro Waterfall, crossed live for an interview with Chinese astronauts in space.

A grade 11 learner from Curro Waterfall, in Midrand Johannesburg still has her head in the clouds. This is after being chosen to cross live and interview a group of Chinese astronauts. They are currently in space. This opportunity was on Tuesday, 6 September at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria.

Dhiasha Naidoo was selected by the Confucius Classroom at Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre (CCIEEC) to participate in a discussion on heaven and earth. She and her Manderin Club classmates also submitted questions and videos for the Chinese astronauts (Taikonauts) in July this year. Many of her school friends watched as she undertook the live broadcast to Tiangong Space Station. She spoke directly to the 14-man crew.

Questions asked

Dhiasha was the only South African learner asking questions. Other queries were also coming from youth in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Somalia. Some of the questions Dhiasha asked the astronauts included how long it took them to reach space from Earth. She also asked if they ever get sick in space and how they cope with being apart from their loved ones.

This fabulous opportunity has mushroomed thanks to a small but very popular Mandarin (Chinese) club. Over the last three years, learners like Dhiasha have been able to take up the international language. It happened as an extramural. Their Mandarin teacher collaborated with the South African Director of CCIEEC, Dr Zhilei Lu and Chinese Director, Prof (Jessica) Wenhong Dai. This is where the relationship with the CCIEEC began.

“It is wonderful to see our learners being given the chance to experience this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It also goes to show how important non-curricular learning is to the development of a learner. After all, not everyone can say they have spoken to an astronaut. Let alone one live from space. I hope this experience fuels a much-needed desire for our learners to continue exploring domestic space travel,” explains Camilla Pretorius. She is Head of High School at Curro Waterfall.