BIUST LAUNCHES CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE

PALAPYE: The Botswana International University of Science & Technology (BIUST) in conjunction with China’s Yanshan University has launched a Confucius Institute (CI). The launch was held in the university campus in Palapye on October 31, 2023 under the theme “The Teaching of Chinese Language and Culture in BIUST to Enhance Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills in Botswana”.The Confucius Institute at BIUST (CIBIUST) is a centre for the teaching of the Chinese language and culture for the promotion of socio-economic, educational, and business cooperation.

The CIBIUST is the second in Botswana and it is in line with BIUST’s mandate to promote growth and development of Botswana’s industry and a diversified knowledge economy. BIUST has meanwhile been offering the Chinese language courses since 2015. Speaking during the CIBIUST launch, BIUST’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Otlogetswe Totolo said learning the Chinese language and culture would help enhance the capacity of the institution and also the students. He said the learning of the Chinese language would enhance the BIUST students’ ability to pursue further education in China. Totolo said China is among the leading countries in Science, Engineering and Technology and BIUST students would have a competitive advantage in securing employment in Chinese-owned companies while it would also enable easier negotiations of contracts.

He further said a number of BIUST’s civil and environmental engineering students have benefited from understanding the Chinese Language and Culture and gained employment in the construction industry where Chinese companies have a significant footprint. Additionally, some of these students got into joint business ventures with the Chinese businesspeople.

“Through the introduction of the Chinese language and culture, BIUST was enhancing the Employability and Entrepreneurship Skills of its students so that they can be market ready to increase their chances of gaining employment with big engineering companies operating in Botswana.” “By enhancing their entrepreneurship skills, BIUST was capacitating its students to use their Science, Engineering and Technology knowledge to establish joint enterprises with Chinese nationals.

The knowledge of the Chinese language and culture, therefore, bridges the communication and cultural gap between our graduates and Chinese businesses,” Totolo said. For his part, the President of Yanshan University, Zhao Dingxuan said the launch of the CIBIUST echoes the good bilateral relations between China and Botswana. Dingxuan said through the establishment of the CIBIUST,Yanshan University would expand the Chinese language education programs at BIUST and Palapye.

He further said in the future, Yanshan University plans to apply for the Chinese Proficiency Test Center of Confucius Institute at BIUST to facilitate students, local residents and Chinese language learners in northern Botswana to take the Chinese proficiency test nearby.

“At the same time, our university will also set up the first international Chinese education overseas practice base in Africa in the Confucius Institute of BIUST to provide a platform for more YSU teachers and students to practice international Chinese teaching, and cultivate more international Chinese teachers with experience, ability and international vision,” Dingxuan told the gathering.

The CIBIUST is also to be used as a Chinese preparatory school for BIUST students to pursue their degrees in Yanshan University. The institution will provide special scholarships to strongly support BIUST students to study and exchange Yanshan University, and cultivate more versatile talents with Chinese language expertise and innovative consciousness for local and Chinese-funded enterprises in Botswana.

Yanshan University is located in Qinhuangdao, one of China’s earliest open coastal cities.Yanshan University has been described as a national key university, and is the major university supported by Hebei Province in the development of national first-class universities and world first-class disciplines.

BIUST has meanwhile been offering the Chinese language courses since 2015