ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 China Higher Education Exhibition, which was said to be the first of its kind in Ethiopia, was organized on Sunday in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country.
Altogether, 31 renowned Chinese universities participated the exhibition, promoting study opportunities and cooperation to the students and universities of Ethiopia.
Jointly organized by the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia, the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, and the China Scholarship Council (CSC), the one-day event aims at providing opportunities for Ethiopian students and universities to get first hand information on scholarship and study opportunities in China as well as cooperation and exchanges among universities.
Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, the CSC Deputy Secretary General, Wang Shenggang, noted that the event is in line with China's commitment to promoting global cooperation and exchanges among international universities as well as international students mobility.
CSC Deputy Secretary General Wang Shenggang said the exhibition is to introduce to Ethiopians China's higher education and it is in line with China's commitment to promoting global cooperation and exchanges with foreign universities as well as international students' mobility.
The CSC Deputy Secretary General stated that China has made significant progresses in education in a wide range of disciplines, also increasing cooperation and exchanges between China and other countries.
In 2018, more than 660,000 Chinese students went abroad for studies, while about 490,000 international students came to China for the same cause, he said, expressing hope that Chinese universities would attract more Ethiopian students.
CSC is willing to take this opportunity for education exchange to further promoting university exchanges and cooperation and students' mobility in the two countries. And it is hoped that the two sides will take this opportunity to enhance understanding, expanding consensus, and stabilizing long-term and stable ties, and contribute to strengthening friendship.
In her opening remarks, Ethiopian Minister of Science and Higher Education Hirut Woldemariam reiterated that Ethiopia and China have been enjoying comprehensive and strategic partnership that is seen as a model for successful south-south cooperation.
Stating that the two countries have been partnering and cooperating in different areas, the Minister said education one of the top areas in which Ethiopia is keen to further cooperation with China.
This is a huge opportunity to strengthen the already existing comprehensive and strategic partnership between the two countries, and also to focus on human capacity development partnership that we have already started. This is also one of the biggest areas where we want to work further.
She also mentioned that Ethiopian has been enjoying scholarship program with China, the East African country been sending students and staffs of universities to pursue studies, including for master's and PhD programs.
The Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Tan Jian, noted that in addition to the government-sponsored training programs, many Chinese universities offer opportunities for African students to study in China.
"Human resource development is an important component in our Belt and road Initiative and under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation framework. The purpose is not only to build capacity, but also to strengthen people-to-people bond. We hope to have more and more Ethiopians know more and more about China; and more and more Chinese know more and more about Ethiopia," said the Ambassador.
Some of the visitors and also representatives of Chinese exhibiting universities told Xinhua that the exhibition is a good opportunity to make valuable exchanges.
Bersabeh Daniel is among the visitors at the Skylight Hotel where the exhibition was held. She told Xinhua that she has found it very interesting to have good information about scholarships and study opportunities from the horse mouth, the university themselves.
"I am talking to universities that may give me medical scholarship and most of them are really welcoming; I like it. I like to study medicine, or something related to science. So, this is a good chance to get real information to contact the admission in person; and that is really a great chance and we thank the Chinese government for the chance," she said.
"I think it is a great exhibition because there are too many students coming here and ask us some questions about their majors and scholarships they want. I see that many students want to study abroad in China, get some scholarship, and study, for example for their master's, doctors in our school or other schools," he said.
The CSC, in collaboration with relevant bodies, organizes similar exhibition aiming at introducing Chinese university to the rest of the world and also promoting exchanges and cooperation with different countries and peoples across the world.
