In the upcoming week, some 20 Liberian students will relocate to the People’s Republic of China to pursue their undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields.
The students have been given advice on how to behave responsibly while pursuing higher education in that part of the world before their official departure which is expected in mid-August.
One of the numerous Liberians who has benefited from the short and long term training opportunities offered by the Cheese Embassy in Liberia is journalist Francis Pelenah of the Liberia Broadcasting System (ELBC). He spoke with the group during the pre-departure session conducted at the Cheese Embassy in Liberia about his four months of training in China.
Pelenah warns the students that if they hope to succeed in their studies, they must adhere to Chinese norms and make every effort to master the Chinese language.
“I have realized that in China everything is about the people. The government is so concerned about the people that all policies are tailored in a way that yields maximum benefits for the Chinese.
He claimed that in order to free the people from poverty, the Liberian Government could use its sisterly and bilateral links with China to incorporate some of these governance traits into our system.
In order for Liberia to help China on all fronts, whether at the United Nations or other international affairs, Pelenah emphasized that Liberia must ensure what he mentioned.
Several government figures, recipients of scholarships from the Chinese Government, members of the Liberian Association of Chinese Trained Scholars, representatives of the Confucius Institute at the University of Liberia and Embassy employees were among those present for the pre-departure.
Fan Erwei, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Liberia, spoke at the occasion and congratulated the 25 trainees of the Chinese Government Training Program and the 22 applicants for this year’s Chinese Government Scholarship.
“We know that you all come from different departments and different backgrounds and have gone through a regular selection process to finally be able to gain this friendship opportunity to go to study in China,” he stressed.
The Chinese Government Scholarship and other training programs according to Erwei, are tangible illustration of the friendship between China and Liberia as well as a tangible demonstration of China’s earnest support for the country’s economic and social growth.
He asserts that President Xi Jinping outlined the values of sincerity, concrete results, amity, good faith, promoting the greater good and sharing an interest in China’s relations with Africa in 2013.
According to the Chinese Charge d’Affaires, they have been adhering to this idea for many years and as a result, China-Liberia ties have achieved significant progress under the joint direction and dedication of Chinese and Liberian officials.
He expressed hope that the students would make the most of the chance to study in China and learn the language by learning about the Chinese culture in-depth and seeing the country’s historical development and accomplishments.
Erwei asserted that the Chinese Government has recently disclosed and offered the Liberian Government 200 short and long-term training possibilities some of which include master’s and doctoral degrees, as well as roughly 50 full scholarships per year.
Latim Dathong, the Deputy Education Minister for Administration also spoke, telling the audience that people are Liberia’s greatest resource rather than anything else like oil, diamonds, or gold.
He claimed that in order to overcome the problems the nation was facing, specialists with skills, knowledge, and experience were needed.
Dathong used the opportunity to express gratitude to their friends, collaborators, and the Chinese Government in particular for their support in the creation of what they considered to be the best and biggest resource.
He exhorted the recipients to serve as excellent representatives for their families and most importantly, for Liberia.
“We as a generation, have a responsibility to this country-a responsibility to leave behind a Liberia that is far from what we inherited. That is the call of our generation and the challenge of our time,” Dathong told the recipients.
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