By Foday Moriba Conteh
The Confucius Institute at Fourah Bay College University of Sierra Leone has on Saturday 3rd December, 2022 commemorated its 10th anniversary celebration at an auspicious event held at the Fourah Bay College Amphitheater in Freetown.
The Institute has been operating since 2012 with care and support from the Chinese Embassy in Sierra Leone, the University of Sierra Leone, and Gannan Normal University.
In her welcome address, the Chinese Director of the Confucius Institute professor Jing Man expressed thanks and appreciation to all those who have supported the works of the Institute throughout the years.
She said that under the guidance and management of Gannan Normal University and the University of Sierra Leone they have produced fruits and successes even though there have been ups and downs since the establishment in 2012, adding that with support from all walks of life the Confucius Institute has constantly improved the condition of teaching and striving to improve the level of Chinese education in more than 20 sites across the Country including Universities, secondary and primary schools and other institutions adding that thousands of people learn Chinese every year, using Chinese to light up the belt and it has become an important force for china and Sierra Leone in occasional cooperation and cultural exchanges.
In 2019 she mentioned they started enrolling students for BA honors in Chinese program and this year they have their first doctorate students in Chinese and also Limkokwing University of Creative Technology has accepted Chinese as a core module for all year one students and for the first time they have set up a teaching site outside Freetown at the University of Makeni and it has been great over this ten years with challenges and development but they are moving forward with growth and success.
On his part, the Deputy Minister of Technical and Higher Education Sarjoh Aziz Kamara said for ten years the Confucius Institute has promoted Chinese language and cultural education in the country which has served as a great medium for cultural exchanges, mutual understanding and communication between China and Sierra Leone.
He maintained that China and Sierra Leone has a sustained relationship for over 50 years and they continued to deepen in educational and cultural exchanges and the celebration of the work of Confucius Institute is an extension of the relationship. He further thanked the Chinese Government for their immense support to enhance human capital development as China has sponsored more than 1000 Sierra Leonean students to study in China and has invited more than 5100 Sierra Leonean friends from all walks of life to China for short term training courses.
The Minister said that China has been pivotal to the development of the Country during the civil war, Ebola crisis and COVID-19 and that Confucius Institute has played their part in education evidently he said and as a Ministry they are pleased to see the collaboration between the University of Sierra Leone and the Confucius Institute as they give students the opportunity to learn and understand the Chinese language and become internationally competitive and for ten years the institute has performed excellently.
He concluded by extending appreciation to the Directors, Lecturers and Chinese Government for being a friend indeed.
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Basic Education ,Dr. Josephine Oladipo, said despite all the COVID-19 interruption the 10th year celebration is big , better and that there are brighter days ahead for Sierra Leone and China.
She said Sierra Leone and China has become more closer not only in education but also in culture especially in language, and studying each other culture will bring the two countries much closer in acceptance and tolerance of their differences, and with joint effort in education they will achieve the goal of building a stronger China Sierra Leone community with a shared future.
Awarding scholarships to Sierra Leoneans to study the Chinese language and culture she said will improve the bilateral relationship between the two Countries as it has been proven that the best way to enhance friendship and communication is to teach each other’s language and culture and as a result it will promote educational cooperation and cultural exchange as well as making positive contribution to consolidate and develop the friendly relationship between China and Sierra Leone
