By Iddi Yire
Accra, Oct 14, GNA – A delegation from 24 top universities in China has held an exhibition at the University of Ghana to offer prospective students the opportunity to apply for scholarships to Chinese universities and become envoys of cultural exchanges.
Mr Lu Kun, the Chinese Ambassador, who opened the exhibition, said China welcomed talented Ghanaian students to study in that country’s universities, experience development, learn the Chinese culture and make friends.
The event was organised by the China Scholarship Council, in collaboration with the Chinese Embassy, the Ministry of Education and the Confucius Institute of the University of Ghana.
Mr Lu said the Embassy would continue to support the academic pursuit of Ghanaian students in China.
“It is estimated that more than 6,500 Ghanaian students study in China, ranking the second among all African countries for many consecutive years,” he said.
He commended the Scholarship Council for choosing Ghana to host the Education Exhibition, saying; “This is the first overseas exhibition held by the Council on campus since the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The delegation only visits Ghana and Egypt, making Ghana the preferred destination in sub-Saharan Africa, which signifies the importance the Chinese Government attached to Ghana, as an education hub.
Ghana firmly abided by the one-China principle and actively supported China on issues concerning human rights, which he deeply appreciated, Mr Lu said.
There had been three Confucius Institutes in Ghana – the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where more than 10,000 students were learning Chinese.
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, said China’s higher educational system had long been celebrated for its unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation and research.
He lauded China for positioning itself as a global leader in higher education.
Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana, in a speech read on her behalf, said the first Confucius Institute in Ghana was inaugurated in 2013, which started operations in 2014 when the first Ghanaian and Chinese directors were appointed.
That, she said, had improved the opportunities for students in their undergraduate Chinese programme and others outside their programme to learn the Chinese Language and Culture.
“Thus, more of our students are getting to study in China with varying levels of support from the China Scholarship Council as well as host universities.”
The Vice Chancellor commended the Scholarship Council for the support and appealed to China for more scholarship to enhance educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Mr Sheng Jianxue, the Secretary-General of the Scholarship Council, said the exhibition served as a platform for educational exchange to strengthen the China-Ghana connectivity for enhanced higher education.
That would go a long way to consolidate cooperation between Chinese and Ghanaian universities and support the two-way flow of students and scholars, thereby promoting extensive exchange and mutual learning, he noted.
GNA