NAIROBI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A flag-off ceremony was held on Friday for scholarship students from the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, who are heading to Tianjin Normal University in China for advanced Mandarin (standard Chinese language) studies. Among them, 20 students will embark on a two-year study program in China.
Senior government officials, diplomats, faculty members, and parents attended the ceremony in Nairobi, the East African country's capital, to see off the students.
The 20 students are beneficiaries of a tripartite agreement signed in December 2023 between the University of Nairobi, the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education, and Tianjin Normal University, aimed at promoting Chinese language proficiency.
Known as the "2+2" Dual-degree Scholarship Program, it focuses on joint training of students in international Chinese language education and aims to boost the inclusion of Mandarin in Kenya's school curriculum.
Having completed two years of study at the University of Nairobi, the first cohort of 20 students will continue their education at Tianjin Normal University in September, undertaking another two years of advanced Mandarin lessons and other relevant courses.
Upon graduation, these students will be qualified to become registered Chinese language teachers and are expected to be recruited by the Teachers Service Commission of Kenya to teach Mandarin in secondary schools, boosting the rollout of international Chinese language education in Kenya.
Carol Hunja, secretary for higher education and research in Kenya's Ministry of Education, hailed the tripartite agreement for advancing Chinese language proficiency among Kenyan youth.
According to Hunja, the government is committed to mainstreaming Mandarin in the school curriculum, in line with the blossoming ties between Kenya and China in the education and cultural fields.
Zhang Zhizhong, charge d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, said the dispatching of Kenyan students to Tianjin Normal University for advanced studies marked a critical milestone in Sino-Kenyan bilateral cooperation in education.
"Today, at this moment of farewell to all the students embarking on your journey to China, I wish that you can study hard to learn about the Chinese language, history, and culture," Zhang said.
Speaking on behalf of Margaret Hutchinson, acting vice chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Jackson Maalu, acting deputy vice chancellor in charge of finance, planning and development, said a strategic partnership with the Chinese government and Tianjin Normal University has led to an increase in the number of scholarships awarded to local youth to pursue further studies in the Asian country.
Maalu added that Kenyan institutions of higher learning have taken the lead in Chinese language teaching, fostering people-to-people exchanges and enhancing youth employability.
