Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is on an eight-country African
tour, has said that cooperation between China and Cameroon and
Liberia in education has been fruitful during his meetings with the
leaders of the two African countries.
The two are not the only African countries that have seen
fruitful cooperation with China in education.
In 50 years, China has forged cooperative relations in education
with 50 African countries. This cooperation has expanded from an
initial simple exchange of students to the current multi-level
educational cooperation, covering various fields and taking many
different forms, according to Li Baoping, secretary-general of
China's African History Academy.
Li said in an academic article that from 1956 to 2006, 18,000
African youths got the Chinese government's sponsorship to study in
China.
From 1956 to the end of 2003, China sent 523 teachers to 35
African countries, who gave courses in more than 10 subjects and
specialized fields, which included science, engineering,
agriculture, arts and physical training, in order to help African
countries develop the weaker disciplines, train technological
talents, and develop middle school and university education.
From 1995 to 2003, China administered 43 sessions of the
"Advanced Education and Scientific Research Program" in 21 African
countries, and under the program, 21 comparatively advanced
laboratories in biology, micro-biology, computer science, physics,
analytical chemistry, food refreshment and processing were set up
in universities in those countries.
China's Zhejiang Agricultural University, which has been merged
into Zhejiang University, has sent 12 teachers to work in Cameroon.
After eight years of hard work, an advanced microbiology laboratory
was set up in the No. 1 University of Yaounde, in which China
invested 2 million yuan (about US$286,000).
Besides, microbiology courses have been offered, and a good many
graduate students are being enrolled and trained. Up to now, a
total of 39 candidates have completed their Masters dissertations
or doctoral theses, and have started working in relevant
fields.
Holding specialized seminars and training programs have also
been an important part of the China-Africa educational cooperation.
By the end of 2003, 18 specialized seminars were held in 14
colleges, universities and scientific research institutions,
entrusted by the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The educational cooperation between China and African countries
were brought to a new high at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on
China-Africa Cooperation held last November.
"China will train 15,000 African professionals, send 100 senior
agricultural experts to Africa, and set up 10 special agricultural
technology demonstration centers in Africa over the next three
years," Hu said at the summit.
He also said that China will dispatch 300 youth volunteers to
Africa, build 100 rural schools there, and increase the number of
Chinese government scholarships to African students from the
current 2,000 per year to 4,000 per year by 2009.
China will honor the pledges it made at the Sino-African Forum,
the Ministry of Commerce said a day before President Hu set off on
the African tour to Cameroon, Liberia, Sudan, Zambia, Namibia,
South Africa, Mozambique and the Seychelles.
(Xinhua News Agency February 4, 2007)
