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LISA MULLINS: Confucius says, "Ignorance is the night of the mind, but a night without moon and star." The Chinese philosopher valued education and study above all else. Now the ancient teachings of Confucius are serving as the modern day inspiration for Britain's Minister of Schools. He wants to import Confucian style teaching methods into classrooms across the country. Laura Lynch sent us this report from the British capital.

TEACHER: I want you to repeat after me ...

LAURA LYNCH: Confucius and his language have already arrived at this school in a working class neighborhood on the eastern edge of London.

TEACHER: And I'm going to lead you on a study of how table tennis in 1971 led to the restoration of links between the United States and China.

LYNCH: These 12-year-olds, many of them sons and daughters of immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, are learning Mandarin combined with a little history lesson. Kingsford Community School is one of just five schools in England that already have so-called Confucian classrooms. The students not only learn the language, they're exposed to Chinese culture and traditions. Teacher Lingying Liu sets it all against the backdrop of China's most famous philosopher.

LINGYING LIU: He has a lot of ideas about teaching and learning, which is still very valuable like you learn through enjoy it and you learn through thinking, not just by memorizing it, and also Confucius stressing importance of harmony and the peace.

LYNCH: Confucius developed his set of teachings 2,500 years ago. His philosophy emphasizes personal conduct more than rigid rules, as well as respect for elders. But his greatest focus was on the value of long and careful study and the importance of thinking for oneself. A few months ago on a trip to China, England's Schools Minister, Jim Knight, found inspiration for his mission to improve education back home.

JIM KNIGHT: What I was struck by while people when talking to me about Confucius and I was seeing some of the big quotes from his writings around and about, was yes that he was strong in advocating the pursuit of knowledge, but also that we need time to think and to assimilate that knowledge and to use it wisely.

LYNCH: Knight came back full of enthusiasm talking up the idea of importing Confucius into England's classrooms. His ambitions are grand. Knight wants every student to have access to his school where they can learn Mandarin and understand Chinese culture, but that doesn't mean abandoning the dreaded exam system.

KNIGHT: What I understand and what I want to try and reflect is yes we need to ensure that children learn facts and absorb knowledge and yes we'll test them, but not in such a way that they can't put that in a proper context to the real world and use it to make them wiser citizens in the end.

LYNCH: Knight admits there's another side to all this. Children from Chinese backgrounds routinely outperform all other students. So Knight believes a little Confucius could go a long way toward making students in England more successful. Still, it's a selective approach. Students probably won't be engaging in the kind of ancestor worship embraced by Confucius, for example. But at Kingsford School in East London they're readily embracing his core teachings.

STUDENT: Confucius said, "It is a joy to learn something new and be able to review and practice from time to time. Thank you.

LYNCH: A video promoting the benefits of Confucius classrooms features students learning not just Mandarin but fan dancing, Tai Chi and doing math with an abacus. 17-year-old Issah Abdul-Moomin is part of a team that beat out 43 other schools across the United Kingdom to win a Mandarin speaking competition. The prize was a trip to China just a few weeks ago. Abdul Moomin says it's transformed the way he learns.

ISSAH ABDUL-MOOMIN: I think it makes me want to learn more about the entire subject. So instead of just focusing on, I don't know, quadratic equations for math, I want to learn about maybe the history of maths and how maths can be applied recreationally as opposed to just learning very linearly.

LYNCH: Teacher Mae Yen came to the school from Bejing last fall. She'll go back this summer. Mae reluctantly admits it's not always easy to handle a classroom full of English kids. "They're a bit lazy," she says, "compared to hard-working Chinese students." Then again ...

MAE YEN: Here the students they are so happy, they are so relaxed. Yeah, they start school at half past eight and they finish school at half past two. I think only half of the time the students in China spend learning. Yeah, so that's... I don't know because every coin has two sides. I don't know whether it's good or not for the students.

LYNCH: In China, school generally starts just after 6:00 in the morning and goes until 5:00 in the afternoon. Children spend a lot of time doing rote memorization. That doesn't dovetail with the Confucian call for reflection nor does the Chinese drive to compete, a drive that ensures children spend long, long hours staring at textbooks and computer screens.

JOHURA HASNA: [Speaking Chinese.]

LYNCH: Thirteen year old Johura Hasna could probably compete with the best of the Chinese students when it comes to memory. She's reciting the speech she gave at the Mandarin Competition, a speech describing her life and her family. Hasna's trip to China has given her a goal to become a lawyer and move to Bejing to practice. She exudes real joy in learning. Confucius would approve but spreading his word to classrooms across England won't happen any time soon. There aren't nearly enough teachers and in the midst of a recession, not nearly enough money to make it happen. For The World, I'm Laura Lynch in London.

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