By Tabora Bojang
The University of The Gambia in partnership with the Guizhou University of China, has built a Confucious Institute at the UTG campus in Kanifing.
The new institute is aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two universities. It is part of an MOU signed between them in China some months ago.
Confucious Institute is a Chinese institute responsible for the promotion of Chinese language, culture and education and it is present in over hundred institutes around the globe.
It also helps in the extension of cooperation in education and improves infrastructures of designated countries.
A high-level delegation from the Guizhou University is currently in the country on a four-day visit to lead the roadmap for the implementation of the MOU.
Professor Faqir Muhammad Anjum, the vice chancellor of the UTG, said the collaboration will avail students and Faculty staff of the University opportunities to gain internships, scholarships and international academic exchanges.
“In fact, we have started seeing benefits from this partnership. Six senior faculty members are going for training in different areas especially in areas of agriculture and science subjects and we are expecting some of our students to earn scholarships this year. We are set to commence new academic programs and will be seeking support from the Guizhou to help in the new fields that we are handicapped,” he stated.
According to professor Anjum, the UTG needs assistance from the Guizhou in the areas of engineering, medical sciences, businesses/public administration, law and ICT as the main priority areas for the university in its bid to improve the socio-economic development of the country.
Meanwhile, the Chinese President has dedicated five scholarships from the government to the University of The Gambia, Professor Anjum reveals.
The head of the delegation and Director at the President’s Office Zhang Dalin said the establishment of the Confucious institute is the very beginning of cooperation between the two institutions based on exploration in the fields of Agriculture, Civil engineering, Management and other priority areas.
“This collaboration will further cement bilateral relationships between the two countries and the two institutions,” he stated. “We will soon be sending our Agricultural and civil engineering experts to come and carry out all the details of the MOU”.
The Chinese Ambassador to The Gambia Jim-Ming said the collaboration of the two institutions is a manifestation of the “ever-increasing bilateral relations between China and The Gambia.”
He said his Embassy is committed to supporting the implementation of the MOU for the mutual benefit of the two nations and there people.
Founded in 1902, the Guizhou University is one of the leading institutions in China with a student population of about sixty thousand.
