The Confucius Institute at UCC held the “2021 Chinese Ambassador Scholarship Awards” awards ceremony on the 5th of October, 2021, at 10:30 a.m, at the Naana Opoku Agyeman Auditorium (Amissah Arthur Language Center) of the University of Cape Coast. The Chinese Ambassador Scholarship was established by the embassy of China in Ghana. Each year, a certain amount of awards are allocated to outstanding Chinese language students. The scholarship covers a wide range of students, from primary to university. This is to encourage students to learn Chinese and provide opportunities for them to study in China or secure jobs in Chinese enterprises. Present at the event were dignitaries from the University Of Cape Coast, including the vice dean, faculty of arts Prof. Sarfo Sarfo-Kantankah, Prof. Ernest Laryea Okorley, the Registrar of the College of Humanities and Legal Studies, Mr Ebenezer Aggrey and the Administrative Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor, Mrs Elizabeth Yankah. Also present were some heads and teachers of the various Chinese teaching centers; University Primary School, Penuel International School, Westend school International School, University Practice SHS, Westend University College, Takoradi Technical University and Cape Coast Technical University. With the national anthems of china and Ghana playing, the Chinese ambassador scholarship ceremony kicked off.
Prof Ishmael Mensah, the Ghana Director of CIUCC gave a speech to formally welcome the invited guests. He indicated that the Chinese Ambassador His Excellency Lu Kun had donated $9,000 to be shared among the 117 awardees from the various schools. After which the Chairman for the event, Mr Ebenezer Aggrey gave his opening remarks to officially begin the event. He expressed his gratitude to the Chinese ambassador for his support and also admonished the students to take their Chinese lessons serious in order to tap into the opportunities that China offers. After more than a month of preparation and selection, the Confucius Institute at the University of Cape Coast finally shortlisted 117 excellent students to be awarded the Chinese Ambassador’s Scholarship. The award-winning students were filled with joy and were appreciative of the ambassador’s kind gesture.
The event was held under strict COVID-19 protocols. On the morning of the event, teachers of CIUCC disinfected the venue, special personnel were at the entrance to take the temperature of participants. The awardees reported to the venue on time, adhered to covid protocol rules and waited patiently to receive their awards. On behalf of the awardees, Meshach Asmah delivered am acceptance speech expressing his gratitude to the teachers of CIUCC for their support and as well expressed his determination to learn Chinese well and become an ambassador for China-Ghana exchange program. The event was also marked by a singing performance from pupils of the UPS and a martial arts performance by some students of the University Of Cape Coast. The China Director(CIUCC), Prof. Ou Yamei gave the closing address. She thanked the ChineseEmbassy in Ghana, Ambassador Lu Kun and secretary Shang Ling feng for their support to the Confucius Institute. She also said, “we are still strong in the midst of thousands of hardships, although the COVID-19 pandemic persists, with the care and support of China International Chinese Language Education Foundation, China Language Exchange Cooperation, Hunan City University, University of Cape Coast and the various teaching centers, the Confucius institute will surely overcome the difficulties and contribute to a brighter future.
Click on link to access the Chinese version: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/w9JY3N4Ze0L1bZEIK1xC6Q
