Why Ghanaians chose Jiangsu University over other Chinese schools
Until recently, the dream of almost every African wishing to further his or her education abroad was to land an admission to a school in either the United States of America or Europe.
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This was understandable, given that almost every school in these continents teaches students using the English language.
With English being a national language in most African countries, including Ghana, it was, therefore, easier for those students to settle and quickly grasp what is expected of them in the classrooms.
The decision to overlook other countries such as those in Asia was complicated by the lack of publicity on their educational institutions.
Apart from intermittent media reports on natural disasters, poverty and conflicts, not a lot of positive things were said about these countries, making it difficult for people outside their shores to place value on their activities and the relevance of their educational institutions.
The situation is, however, changing, thanks, mostly to the opening up of these countries to foreign counterparts in recent times.
Although Russia has been a long trusted partner to Ghana's medical community, not many people outside the health profession looked to it for educational tourism.
The same applied to Turkey, whose education sector is fast becoming a hot spot for Ghanaian and African students in general
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In all of this, however, China is the biggest gainer.
Jiangsu University in perspective
China, which is currently competing with the USA for the number one spot in terms of economic might, has proven to be a good place to study for foreigners and most Africans. As a result, most Ghanaians are taking advantage of it to advance their education qualifications.
In China, one school that is benefiting immensely from this new trend is the Jiangsu University (JSU), where I have been schooling for the past six years.
Founded in 1902, JSU has grown to become one of the enviable schools in China and the most preferred for international students hoping to take advantage of the thriving Chinese education sector.
As of May, this year, foreign students in the school amounted to 1130 of which nearly half of them are Africans.
Out of that number, 289 are Ghanaians studying various undergraduate and postgraduate courses in various fields.
This compares favorably than other schools in China, where Ghanaians are just below 100.
So, how did JSU win the hearts of Ghanaian students over its counterparts and what are the lessons for education institutions and stakeholders in Ghana wishing to attract foreign brains into their facilities?
Moderate tuition fees and facilities
One area JSU has used to attract international students, especially those from Africa, is the school's moderate tuition fees.
Although the quality of tuition, school infrastructure and comfort for students is topnotch, the amount students pay for tuition is well below the average in most Chinese universities.
With money always being a barrier to education abroad, most students, including me, tend to be choosy in our search for schools abroad, using price as a main determinant.
Additionally, the school also offers a lot of scholarships to qualified students compared to its counterparts. This means that students who meet the criteria are most likely to win a scholarship at JSU than they would be in any other school in China.
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As a result, many past and continuing international students tend to recommend the school their friends and family, whenever the issue of schooling abroad and scholarship comes up.
Also despite the school's modesty in charging students for tuition, its style of teaching is topnotch, with lectures always willing to take students through one-on-one lectures, whenever the need arises.
The school's laboratories are also well furnished and properly equipped all requirement equipment. This makes it possible for students to blend the theory with practical and experiments compared to other schools where equipment are virtual available.
Recreational facilities
Another area that endears JSU to most international students is its tolerance for recreational activities. As a way of blending academics with recreation, the school encourage competition among the Chinese students and their international colleagues in various sporting activities such as football, volleyball and basket ball.
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Leadership skills is being inculcated in students as the school has an international students representative council, electoral commission and many other departmental unions. Those students interested in leading any of the above mentioned unions go through a healthy and democratic process from picking up nomination forms, verting and campaigning. Ballot papers are then printed and the entire international student body participate in voting. This is one of a kind I have seen in China so far.
This encourages positive competition and easy mingling for the international students.
Message to Ghanaian and African schools
It is obvious that education is fast a global commodity where the country in which one studied would soon not be a big concern provided the person involved is able to properly apply the knowledge acquired to the benefit of society.
As a result, it is advisable that Ghanaian schools and their counterparts in other African countries open up their doors for students from other countries to help enrich their student population while making money for the country.
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This can be done by adopting and applying some of the strategies JSU uses.
For example, universities in the country could position themselves as the preferred institutions in Africa to study a particular course that is of interest to the continent.
This can be done through partnerships with the private sector and the government, where selected institutions agree to offer scholarships to qualified students to study and work with them afterwards.
That way, we could help retain our own brains to help develop huge continent and the countries in particular.
The writer is a graduate of the Jiangsu University