By Alhagie Babou Jallow
The ambassador of the People’sRepublic of Chinato The Gambia, His Excellency Ma Jianchun, on Thursday, January 9thofficially opened a well-equippedfacility dubbed ‘China Cultural Corner’ at Nusrat Senior Secondary School in BundungkaKunda.
In his inauguration remarks, the Ambassador spoke highly of the school, describing it as well discipline with ‘strong passion for knowledge’.
“Just when I walked around in Nusrat campus earlier, I felt that this was indeed a school of discipline and aspiration… I also came to understand why Nusrat has long been one of the best secondary schools in The Gambia. In the past one year or so, I frequently heard news about Nusrat students making outstanding academic achievements and winning various awards. And until today, over half of all Gambian students and scholars who have successfully applied for the highly-competitive Chinese Government Scholarship programmes are Nusrat graduates and alumni”.
Explaining how the China Cultural Corner initiative came about, Ambassador Jianchun said the embassy made formal contact with the school in May 2019 following a cultural exchange with Nusrat for the first time and in September, they invited some students from Nusrat to the Embassy chancery for their first Open House and Exhibition Activities. In the same month, two Nusrat teachers attended an education-themed seminar held in China and later shared their experiences with colleagues after coming back.
He revealed that in October last year Principal Bojang visited the Chinese Embassy and discussed with them further cooperation in the area of education. All of this he said is hinged on their realization of the impressive performance of Nusrat graduates in the Chinese government scholarship applications and their being among the best schools in The Gambia.
The idea of the Corner he went on, was conceived following the Principal’s courtesy call to the Embassy.
He noted that educational exchange has always been one of the most important areas of the China-Gambia cooperation. “In the past few years”, he highlighted“China has provided many scholarships and training opportunities for Gambian students and professionals of diverse backgrounds. And just three months ago, the much-anticipated first Confucius Institute in The Gambia was inaugurated, offering courses on Chinese language and culture for interested Gambian individuals”.
Further on the significance of the facility, the Chinese diplomat recalled having interacted with some of some Nusrat students during the Open Day and Exhibition Activities three months ago. “I felt that you were a group of young people enthusiastically seeking knowledge of the outside world. I was asked many questions, such as how it feels like to live in China today? How come China developed into the second largest economy in the world within just a few decades? And why is China selflessly helping African countries including The Gambia? Now you may easily find answers to all these questions in the China Cultural Corner”.
He pointed out that China’s success was not achieved in a single day, nor was it achieved in a simple way.
However, he stressed that China’s growth has always been premised on, among other things, stronger China-Africa fraternal ties, and the ever closer China-Africa community with shared future. “China attaches great importance to its relations with all African countries including The Gambia. And today, China’s door is ever more open to every one of you”.
The Ambassador expressed hope that the China Cultural Corner would help the students seek truth and knowledge, look into the outside world, and reflect on how to make their contribution to building a prosperous Gambia.
The outgoing principal of the School,KaramoBojang expressed gratitude to the Chinese embassy and the government of the People’s Republic of China for their “unflinching support to the education sector and other areas of the country’s development. He described them as true friends of The Gambia and assured that the China Cultural Corner will be put to good use.
The ceremony was also marked with donation of valuable items to the school by the ambassador. They include:stationery, footballs, and solar-powered flashlights
It was attended by students, school administration and some government officials.
