ACCRA, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- More than 100 Ghanaian students were awarded the Chinese ambassador scholarship presented by the Chinese Embassy in Ghana this year, setting a record for the highest number of beneficiaries, said Chu Beijuan, chief of the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana.
Speaking with Xinhua in an interview on Saturday, Chu said the 14,000-dollar scholarship is to encourage local students to acquire the Chinese language and learn about the Chinese culture.
Michael Oduro, a first-prize recipient of the scholarship, told Xinhua that the yearly scholarship has helped him a lot in achieving his academic goals of Chinese proficiency.
Michael, who is now an intern at a Chinese company in Ghana, developed a huge interest in the Chinese language on campus. He is currently preparing himself for further study at China's Northwest University in the meantime.
"I am going to use the money for my Chinese study, and I am really grateful for the consistent help from the Confucius Institute to students like me," Michael added.
According to Chu, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 here in March, the face-to-face Chinese courses had to be suspended for safety concern, instead, the students turned to online courses to continue their studies.
"We have been rolling out online Chinese teaching to meet the demands of Ghanaian students, and it worked well," said Chu, adding that Ghanaian students' passion for Chinese study never faded amid the pandemic.
"A variety of activities have been arranged online, including a Chinese talent show, during which the local students performed shows from Chinese crosstalk to story-telling, and we hope this would create a cheerful atmosphere among students during the pandemic," Chu added. Enditem
