Not Fewer than Thirty-four Nigerian students including 21 Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka students have been awarded the 2015 Confucius Institute Scholarship by theChinese Government.
The scholarship which would afford the 34 students who had passed through the Confucius Institute, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka the opportunity to study in various disciplines in Chinese Universities has been approved by HanBan Headquarters.
An elated Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku who disclosed this to reporters with a list of the benefiting students said the feat was made possible from the outcome of the university’s partnership with Xiamen University China.
He noted that the collaboration of Nnamdi Azikiwe University with Xiamen University, China which led to the establishment of Confucius Institute at the Awka campus of UNIZIK has produced multiple success stories since it took off fully in 2009.
Ahaneku who was flanked by the Chinese Director of the Institute, Prof. Ji Nengwen noted that having served as former UNIZIK Director of the Confucius Institute and under his watch now as the Vice Chancellor of the University, the institution is poised not only to keep producing tremendous positive milestones in academics, innovation and research but shall strive to be the best in Africa.
He disclosed that out of the 34 beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme, 12 beneficiaries are for Masters Degree to last between one to two years; four students are for a four-year scholarship for Bachelors Degree while 18 others are for one year courses in Chinese studies.
The Admitting Universities in China included Communication University of China, Xiamen University, Hebei Normal University, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology and Sichuan Normal University, China among others.
The Vice Chancellor noted that the Confucius Institute of the University has extended its classroom studies to Federal Polytechnic Oko, Enugu State College of Education, Enugu and the UNIZIK High School.
He said graduates of the Chinese Language studies programme of the university have benefitted immensely in several job and business opportunities opening up through the Chinese people in Nigeria.
On the recent ranking of Nnamdi Azikiwe University as number 8 in Nigeria, Ahaneku expressed delight that the institution rose from its former positions of 36, 26, and 16 to its present position and described its steady rise as a sign of repositioning the university in the right vision by the administrators.