The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

A PRESTIGIOUS Chinese university has announced plans to award Bahamian students with full scholarships to obtain bachelors and masters degrees.

Li Lianshui, president of the Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NUIST), told The Tribune that a financial allocation has been earmarked for persons interested in studying one of seven programmes taught in the English language at the facility.

The more popular areas of study including engineering, meteorology, economics and commerce are among the options.

So far, NUIST has confirmed that three scholarship are now available for Bahamians although officials in New Providence have yet to announce how they will be awarded.

Mr Lianshui said: “ We certainly hope that there can be more communication between the two universities ( NUIST and the College of the Bahamas) its students and faculty members, that more resources can be preserved from both governments to promote education.”

He was speaking to the Governor General’s wife, Lady Joan Foulkes, who was on a ten-day culture tour throughout various provinces of China.

Among NUIST’s more than 30,000 students and around 3,200 faculty and staff, six Bahamians are already at the university on a one year scholarship programme studying Mandarin.

They were awarded the grants worth around $1,600 after studying at COB’s Confucius Institute.

Lady Foulkes encouraged the students during a courtesy call to do their best while attending NUIST.

“Do well and achieve whatever you can,” she said. “It is good that each of you have the desire to learn here because experiences like this one will progress our country. Do your best and come home and encourage other young persons to do what you are doing.”

NUIST allocates millions of dollars in scholarship funding each year to international students interested in studying at the facility or to obtain various degrees.