China grants 503 scholarships to Ghanaian students
China has granted a total of 503 scholarships to Ghanaian students to pursue higher education in China as of 2013.
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The figure is a tremendous increase of the six scholarships granted Ghanaian students by the Chinese Government in 1960, according to the Director-General of the Department of International Co-operation and Exchanges of China's Ministry of Education, Mr Cen Jianjun.
Statistics show that 2,897 Ghanaian students had either completed their studies or were still studying in China by the end of 2013.
The Chinese Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Commerce jointly set up a Human Resources Training Programme in 2008 and by 2013, 15 Ghanaian students had participated in the programme, out of which 10 received their masters degrees.
Mr Cen, who was briefing the Daily Graphic in Beijing about the programme, said China's Education Ministry had also been organising short-term training programmes every year. He explained that since 2009, 19 Ghanaian government officials, university lecturers, experts and scholars had been invited to China to take part in the programme.
Under the framework of China-Africa Universities 20+20 Cooperation Programme, the Tianjin Traditional Chinese Medicine University forged a partnership with the University of Ghana. The two universities have since enhanced their cooperation, especially in faculty exchange programmes and joint research.
In addition, the Confucius Institute was established at the University of Ghana for the teaching and learning of the Chinese language.
Statistics available at China's Ministry of Education indicate that by the end of 2013, the number of African students in China was 35,000.
Out of this number, 7,300 students, representing 22 per cent of the educational scholarships granted students from different regions across the world within the period, were Africans.
Areas of study
Previously, African students came to China to study Chinese but now the situation has changed. The focus is now on science and engineering, which, according to statistics, form about 30 per cent of the various preferred areas of study.
An official of the Ghana Embassy in China, Mrs Alberta Quartey, recently told the Daily Graphic in Beijing that currently there were 1,200 Ghanaian students in China, out of which about 800 were studying medicine.
Mr Cen advised Africans who had studied in China to form alumni associations so that they could network and exchange ideas to develop the African continent.
He gave the assurance that the number of scholarships for African students would be increased in the coming years to enable as many students as possible to benefit from the country's scholarship scheme.
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