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| China backs UNESCO proposal to support higher education in Africa
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Paris, France (PANA) -
China's Minister of Education Zhou Ji has expressed suppo
rt for the proposal by UNESCO
to support higher education in Africa.
Mr. Zhou was speaking at the current World Conference on Higher Education in Par
is, France, and which has attracted more
than 1,000 participants from all corners of the globe.
The Minister proposed that the conference should come out with a draft new partn
ership plan for higher education in Africa, promising
that "China will go on with its support for the efforts of African universities
and colleges to promote exchanges between students and
teachers, upgrade their laboratory equipment, and develop their curricula."
He told the gathering that his country would assist 20 elite universities in Chi
na to foster partnerships with the same number of African
universities, and join them in research and teacher training.
The Chinese Minister of Education also called for the building of a multilingual
learning network that would encourage universities and colleges
in African countries "to use native languages in teaching activities, tap the in
dispensable role of languages and education in carrying forward
civilizations, and protect the rich and varied cultures of ethnic groups in Afri
ca."
On Monday, during a special session on Africa that examined the revitalization o
f higher education and research on the continent, a Deputy Minister
from South Korea also expressed similar sentiments, and pledged his country's su
pport for the development of higher education in Africa.
Over the last 50 years since countries in sub-Saharan Africa began to gain their
independence, support to higher education has hitherto been the
business of the former colonial powers, who established most of the universities
and institutions of higher learning.
However, in the mid 1980s, academic standards and physical facilities and infras
tructure in these institutions deteriorated severely due to neglect,
inadequate funding, weak governance and a massive expansion of the student body.
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| Paris - 07/07/2009 |
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