EngineersintheMaking
Cooperation between companies and universities to train African students in China is a form of innovation. The engineering training fits the development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the needs of African countries’ development; in addition, it is a proof of Chinese enterprises implementing their social responsibility in Africa.
Zhang Wei, Deputy Director of International Education Department, Chang’an University
FOR Martine Dieng Awa and Seydou Ka Thierno, two 18-year-old classmates from Kolda Town in south Senegal, the prospect of studying abroad after high school seemed an unimaginable and almost impossible dream. Little did they know that they would end up a few months later being classmates again, but this time in faraway China.
In the middle of 2016, with graduation approaching, Awa saw an online advertisement by Senegal’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research: the Chinese stateowned company China Road and Bridge Corp. (CRBC) was providing 15 scholarships to help Senegalese students go to China, and train them in bridge and road engineering for five years at Chang’an University in China’s Shaanxi Province.
For students who had just graduated from high school, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Awa and Thierno did not hesitate a second and submitted their applications.
To their joy, the two classmates were accepted and ended up in the same class at Chang’an University. “This is my first time in China. I am extremely happy,” Awa told ChinAfrica, with a delighted smile. As she puts it, she will never forget the joy upon receiving the acceptance letter. “I was so nervous while waiting for the result. Finally, I felt relieved!”
She and her classmate Thierno spent the days anxiously waiting for their departure for China and looking forward to continuing being classmates abroad. On November 16, Awa and Thierno, together with 13 other Senegalese students, arrived in Shaanxi’s capital Xi’an, an ancient cultural city dating back more than 3,000 years.
This opportunity was made possible by the Senegal branch of CRBC, which signed an agreement with the Senegalese Government on July 14, 2016, to help train Senegalese students in China. CRBC also entered in partnership with Chang’an University, known for its strong engineering education program. According to the agreement, the Senegalese students’ tuition, transportation, catering and accommodation fees during their time at Chang’an University will be fully covered by CRBC.
A selection committee was set up with representatives of Senegal’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Ministry of Infrastructure and Land Transport and CRBC. The selection process was rigorous, and only young high school graduates having passed their graduation exam with a “fairly good” mark were selected. “It is hoped that this good example of CRBC will be emulated by other companies established in Senegal,” Mary Teuw Niane, Minister of Higher Education and Research of Senegal, told ChinAfrica.
Adapting to China
The young Senegalese are now studying Chinese, an intensive immersion that will last one year. “We have to learn Chinese characters which have a relation with the pronunciation; it’s very different from our language,” said Awa.
The 15 young people are grouped together in a special class, and are taught by three Chinese teachers. Language classes are rigorous, and at eight o’clock in the morning, Thierno is already sitting in class with his classmates, where they learn to read and write Chinese characters. For Thierno, adapting to the rapid pace of studies in China is a challenge.
“I see Chinese students are very hard-working from day to night, and this gave me a strong impression and it encourages me to follow their example,” he said. The Senegalese students are paired with a Chinese partner with whom they can practice their language skills “one on one.” Although they still have to communicate with gestures after only two months of studies, Thierno finds the whole experience “very interesting.”
After a year of studying the Chinese language, they will start their studies of engineering for another two years, still in a special Senegalese-only class. Then, in their fourth and fifth years, they will join Chinese classmates in a normal class. For this group of young people aged 18 to 22 years, learning the language is fundamental for their future success.
In addition to three Chinese teachers, they also have a tutor who takes care of their everyday life. “They are very young students. They are away from their families and are living in a foreign country, so we do everything we can to help them and reduce their psychological burden,” said tutor Zhang Lei.
To help ease their homesickness, Awa has even started cooking traditional Senegalese food in their kitchen.
Congolese students take part in sporting activities at Chang’an University COURTESY PHOTOS
A Senegalese student learns Chinese language in a special classNeed-based training
“Cooperation between companies and universities to train African students in China is a form of innovation. The engineering training fits the development of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the needs of African countries’ development; in addition, it is a proof of Chinese enterprises implementing their social responsibility in Africa,” Zhang Wei, Deputy Director of International Education Department at Chang’an University, told ChinAfrica.
Since the reestablishment of Sino-Senegalese diplomatic relations in 2005, cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure has been steadily increasing, and Chinese companies have taken part in many construction projects, such as hydroelectric power stations, residential buildings, theaters, highways and water supply projects.
In recent years, as the Senegalese economy develops, more and more local talents are needed in the construction industry. “Our cooperation with China is based on the needs of our country; it is flexible as it adapts to the ongoing reforms that focus on technological sciences, engineering sciences, [and] mathematics,” said Niane.
According to the minister, Senegal has put in place its own national quality assurance authority which empowers and accredits the diplomas delivered by public, private and foreign educational establishments. The authority recognizes all degrees on an equal footing. Students graduating from China have no more difficulties than others to have their degrees recognized, and students trained there are known to be immediately operational.
In December 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed 10 major cooperation plans at the Johannesburg Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Among these, the cooperation in education and human resources has been especially remarkable. Through Chinese university-company cooperation, youth training has hit the mark. Beside the Senegalese class, Chang’an University is also home to a Congolese class, where 100 young students from the Republic of the Congo study engineering.
“We have experiences in this kind of training. They [the young Congolese] are competent, and the most important point is that they know China very well and serve as a communication bridge between the two countries for cooperation in the field of infrastructures,” said Zhang Wei.
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