ANTANANARIVO, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Confucius institutes in Madagascar are actively involved in the development of the island's higher education, an education official told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The idea to cooperate with the Chinese government to establish the institutes was originally aimed at meeting the demand from students at the University of Antananarivo to learn the Chinese language, according to Armand Hubert Rasoamiaramanana, general director of the higher education ministry.

The two existing Confucius institutes in Madagascar, one located in the capital Antananarivo and the other in Fianarantsoa, helped the Malagasy people gain an in-depth understanding of the Chinese culture and custom, the official said.

"We can see Chinese people everywhere in Madagascar ... but the Malagasy do not really know (about) the Chinese custom," Rasoamiaramanana said.

"Now we have the institutes, and they help the Malagasy people study the Chinese language, culture and philosophy. And I hope that there will be more institutes in other provinces of Madagascar."

The official was proud of the fact that a Malagasy student won First Prize Award and the Best Appearance Award in the 11th "Chinese Bridge" Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreign College Students recently held in China.

"Very few universities in Africa provide courses of the Chinese language, and Madagascar is among the first African countries having university with an institute for the study of the Chinese language and culture," said Rasoamiaramanana.

But he also said the Confucius institutes on the island are under-staffed, and hoped that more Chinese teachers will be sent to the institutes and more local students could have a chance to study in China.

"There's this girl who already had the first prize (in Chinese Proficiency Competition). We believe that she will get a scholarship to study in China the Chinese language and culture even the Chinese philosophy," Rasoamiaramanana said.