Two students from USIU-Africas Confucius Classroom awarded scholarships to study in China
By Wanjiku Mbugua
Two students from the Confucius Classroom have been awarded scholarships to study in China to strengthen their proficiency in the Chinese language. The news comes one year following the establishment of the Confucius Classroom at USIU-Africa.
The two students, Cho’olle Wario and Whitney Ngigi, received six-month fully paid scholarships each to study at Qingdao University and Shandong Normal University, respectively. Cho’olle took up her scholarship in September 2020 and concluded her studies last month. Whitney, on the other hand, is expected to begin her studies from March to July 2021.
The Confucius classroom offers students paid scholarships to China, to expose the students to Chinese culture, including learning Chinese songs, cuisine, Chinese calligraphy, poetry, among others. The scholarships also give the students a chance to improve their proficiency in Chinese.
The Confucius classroom was established through a partnership with publicly funded Kenyatta University's Confucius Institute to help expand the scope of teaching Chinese language and culture to Kenyan youth. Over time, the classroom is expected to become a training hub for future Chinese language teachers, diplomats and entrepreneurs amid robust Sino-Kenya trade and cultural ties.