China and African countries have conducted fruitful cooperation in
both educational and cultural fields over the past decades, which
has greatly deepened mutual understanding and friendship between
China and Africa.
According to the Ministry of Education, since the early 1950s,
China has carried out 36 educational assistance projects in 19
African countries and enrolled 5,582 African students to Chinese
universities by 1999.
Meanwhile, 10 major Chinese universities have established contacts
with universities in 16 African countries, and quite a number of
Chinese teachers and students have been sent to African countries
either for further education or to assist in local education
institutions.
In
the early 90s, China accepted more African students seeking
doctorates or post-graduate degrees and relatively cut down on the
number for bachelor's degree. Therefore, in 1999, African students
taking doctoral and post-graduate courses accounted for 48 percent
of the total number of foreign students studying in China.
The 5,000 African students who have finished their studies in China
are playing an active role in the national construction of their
respective countries, according to the Education Ministry.
China's cultural exchange with Africa began in 1955 when China
signed an agreement of cultural cooperation with Egypt. So far,
China has singed bilateral cultural exchange agreements with 45
African countries, and more than 200 government cultural
delegations have been sent mutually.
In
the past decade, more than 100 art troupes have exchanged visits
and over 100 exhibitions have been organized through exchange.
Officials with the Ministry of Culture expressed the conviction
that Sino-African cultural exchanges would be further reinforced in
both width and depth in the future.
(People’s Daily 10/02/2000)