HARARE, Jan 22 (NewsDayLive) – About 52 scholars who scored high marks in Chinese language at the University of Zimbabwe have been awarded scholarships to pursue further studies in China.
Awarding the scholarships in Harare on Tuesday, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Zhou Ding said the students had opened a treasure trove of opportunities for themselves by mastering a foreign language.
“The importance of learning a foreign language cannot be overstated. In an increasingly interconnected world, language serves as the bridge that connects cultures, fosters understanding, and strengthens friendships," he said.
“By mastering the Chinese language, you are unlocking a treasure trove of opportunities: — cultural, academic, and professional. You are becoming custodians of a language spoken by over a billion people and steeped in thousands of years of history.
“By mastering the Chinese language and delving into China’s rich history, splendid culture and dynamic economy, you are enriching yourselves and strengthening your competitiveness in your career development, and positioning yourselves to be active participants in Zimbabwe’s development and contributing to the enduring partnership between our two great nations.”
Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe’s Higher and Tertiary Education Deputy minister, Simelisizwe Sibanda hailed the China-Zimbabwe Friendship Scholarships for enabling local students to pursue their dream studies at the Asian country's top universities.
“Since inception in 2020, the China-Zimbabwe Friendship Scholarship program has benefited many Zimbabweans. I am happy to announce that today, scholarships will be awarded to 52 Zimbabweans under the same programme.
“May I also take this opportunity to remind the beneficiaries of the scholarships to work very hard and acquire the much-needed knowledge and skills. Remember, our means to achieving Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 is innovation-driven, heritage-inspired value chains, i.e., industrialization and modernization based on Education 5.0. Our heritage is our flora and fauna (our water, our vegetation, our soil, and our minerals, our animals) and our end goal is to industrialize and modernize Zimbabwe by creating a knowledge- and innovation-led economy. Through education systems, we aim to develop job creators and not job seekers, a crop of skilled graduates with proficient knowledge and skill for the industrialization and modernization of our nations.”
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Laston Mukaro, head of the Confucius Institute at the University of Zimbabwe confirmed that the China Zimbabwe Friendship Scholarships programme has helped a lot in the realization of students' dreams.
