John Okeke writes that Chinese language is fast
growing in the country and few people are aware of the opportunities it
presents.
So many Nigerians have developed interest in the language and are
reaping the benefits therein while some are yet to discover the opportunities
therein.
China Culural Centre in Abuja has all over the years
produced Nigerian gruaduates in the centre who are proficient in speaking the
language .
However, the establishment of the Chinese language
institute in Nnamdi Azikiwe University is the beginning of wisdom as it has put
smiles on the faces of students who through the institute got scholarships in
China universities and jobs.
In 2008 the Chinese Confucius Institute was
established in Nnamdi Azikiwe University which aimed at promoting language and
culture interchange between china and Nigeria and also to facilitate Chinese
language promotion and Chinese cultural transmission in Nigeria and to produce
qualified Chinese language teachers and excellent Chinese language students.
The agreement between Hanban and Nnamdi Azikiwe
University establishing Confucius Institute was signed in March,2008 and
inaugurated in February ,2009.
Its boards of directors jointly composed of NAU and
Xiamen University.
CI has a total of fourteen (14) staff of which six (6)
are local while eight (8) lecturers are assigned by Hanban and Xiamen
University.
About two thousand, five hundred (2500) students at
different levels have been trained in the institute since its inception which
has in its over 6years of existence recorded great success.
To met the increasing demand of the institute’s
services from the general public, CI has so far established three (3) Confucius
classrooms: at Federal Polytechnic Oko with twelve (12) teaching classes and
three hundred and fifty (350) registered students; at Unizik High School with
eleven (11) teaching classes and one hundred and thirty (130) registered
students and at Enugu State College of Education Technical.
In 2013, the National Universities Commission (NUC)
approved the establishment of the fulltime Bachelor of Art (B.A) programme with
effect from the 2013/2014 academic session.
The Confucius Institute also offers training at three
additional levels: Diploma ,Proficiency written and Proficiency oral and
Executive class.
The Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute, Mr.
Wang Bo revealed that 90 percent of Nigerian students presently studying in
China are from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state.
Bo, that 54 students gained admission into Chinese universities
last year, while another 100 who have passed different levels of Chinese
language are currently working in various companies.
However, recently , 21-year old Anambra-born Nigerian,
Ekwensi Anthony Ebuka, a final year of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in the
department of Educational Management and Policy came fourth in the final
competition in the recent contest of Chinese language competition in Beijing ,
China after beating 118 African countries fellow contestants to come first in
Africa and emerged fourth position in the world .
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor
Ahaneku was elated that the university through the Institute has provided job
opportunies and scholarships awarded to many of its students in China.
“This is just a plus to the level of promotion we have
already given to the language. As I said we have not less than 200 students
that are already accessing different levels of scholarships in China through
our institute. I want to inform you you right now we have student that read law
so many years back that right now work with the United Nations. As you know
foreign language is an advantage for a job maybe in United Nations and things
like that . So, we also have another lady who was employed in Hubei University
. So, she is now working as an international staff at their international
office a Nigerian lady because if this advantage . As he said some of them that
are having proficiency in this language are ready being hired by local people
fir interpretation here . And then some of them that are working in some
African countries both in Africa and South Africa are already receiving
requests from various companies within and outside Africa for especially people
in Engineering, computer science especially science based disciplines with
language proficiency in Chinese language. So, the subscription is quite high .
With this language advantage it will open doors for some of them that are
looking for jobs in a companies manned by some of the Chinese employers. So,
for me and for us at Nnamdi Azikiwe University will throw it open and most of
our students are auditing the language even after reading different courses . And
we have our demonstration schools in primary and secondary. This Chinese
language is growing in the country. It is like a household thing and students
walk enter there freely and took the language. And again we have Chinese
African Research Center is also domiciled in Nnamdi Azikiwe University. If you
want to know deeply about Chinese culture you can come to our resource Centre
that is in our school.”
“So we’re indeed elated that one of our student is a
student under a B.A program participated in a world competition in which one
hundred and eighteen participated . All these nations where the Chinese
language is being taught and the foreign candidates were all assembled in
Beijing and at the end of the day , a Nigerian from the Anambra State , a
student at Nnamdi Azikiwe University running a B.A program emerged first in
Africa and fourth in the entire world . So, for me and for us this underscores
the facts that we are also living up to our expectations in the education
sector.
But we are also
working exceedingly hard live , enlarge in our reputations of a particular
sector, education sector. So, I want to contact this young Nigerian youth. He
is going to serve as an inspiration unto others so that also learn from his
study policies on how to work hard . But I want to say this that since we have
been in partnership with this university in China , we have actually given both
our resources and time and we have committed quite a number of programs to this
particular partnership. And as we speak we have about two hundred Nigerians
that have access to scholarships for different programs in China. So, we have
had these opportunities that are rare and they are available and on daily basis
we keep harnessing some of these opportunities. So, as we doing at Nnamdi Azikiwe
University we are trying to spread our teaching points to various regions and
geo political zones in this country .
Currently, we
have established teaching points now at Ebonyi state , we have at Federal
Polytechnic Okoh . We have at Enugu state . We are going to go to Kano and then
we also going to establish at Portharcourt . So, what we want to do is to give
more access to Nigerian youths so that they can discover bad rediscover
themselves. These are the talents that we have as burning talents in Nigeria
and then when they have these opportunities they can interact with their
colleagues in China . And through that means they will defind and have away of
developing themselves mentally and even in any career of their choice . Again ,
we have tours , summer tours and summer school. Some Nigerian youths them just
left yesterday and they arrived today through this same partnership. And that
for me is the best way to give them broader perspectives looking at the global
way of things . So, some of them will be reading different courses in various
institutions that are available in Beijing and they will tour different
institutions in China .
Through that they will also make friends and then
build bridges. And some if them that are very inquisitive are already making
some friends and they can also do their own business. Some of us that are
coming from the regions here entrepreneurship is working they are already
deepening the relationship in rearing entrepreneurship. Am not even surprised
that the people are coming from where entrepreneurship working to start their
own businesses. So, these are ways and this for me is a way of solving the
problem of mobility for young Nigerians . This is of unemployment will also
solved through this same means when people are given the opportunities to
explore and through that most people and Nigerian youth will definitely find
their levels in the field of human endeavor.
That is the kind of things that have been happening
all over the years . Nnamdi Azikiwe University is at the forefront and the
vanguard of greater partnership and relationship. And we will continue to do
our best to promote this partnership between our two countries. At the moment
and the chairman governing board of this great institute. And it is our dream
that this is going to blossom and more Nigerians will access the opportunities
and use that to transfer some of the rare skills that are really there to our
Nigerian society. Am looking at the time we will have made in Nigeria by
Chinese in Nigeria and made in China by Nigerians in China. That is the best
thing we can have for our Nigerian youths.”
He said that the institution, being the first to
establish Confucius institute, has worked hard to maintain the standard and
have been established as Chinese Cultural Research Centre, the only one in
Africa to receive award of excellence.
Ahaneku further noted that the programme has
transcended from learning of Chinese language to culture and other areas of
human endeavor namely medicine, engineering, architecture, agriculture, among
others, hoping that the university will achieve its objectives in human
development in the near future.
The Cultural Counselor, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria
said the students’ performance would help to cement Nigeria and China
relations.
He said, “the student stride will help to build a
bridge between China and Nigeria. Through this way Exchange Programme will be
further improved. This is an encouragement and inspiration to many other people
. I wish the VC and the university greater future. I wish your school and the
institute will achieve one purpose.”
The final year student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University in
the department of Educational Management and Policy , Ekwensi Anthony Ebuka who
emerged first in Africa in Chinese language contest in Beijing said the
language when learnt it will give room for employment opportunities and
scholarships.
“I think it will open a window of opportunities for me
. After learning the Chinese language you can work in a Chinese companies . You
can equally act as a Chinese translator. Also if you learn the language and
pass the exams you will get scholarship to go to China to study because the
competition I participated I was able to get a scholarship . I can study any
course if my choice in any university in China. Yes I think it will.”
Exploring opportunities in Chinese Language culture
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Thursday, August 16, 2018
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