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In the past African students would throng European, Australian and American institutions, but there now seems to be a shift towards China

John Manzongo Review writer
Zimbabwe earlier in the new millennium adopted the “Look East” policy to counter the hostility of a western alliance opposed to its political thrust, and has partnered China which is not just an emerging economic powerhouse but also a growing centre for higher education as demonstrated by the many foreign students enrolling at its universities. Unlike in earlier years when African students would throng British, Australian and American institutions, there now seems to be a shift towards China.

I was privileged to be part of five African journalists – funded by the Witz-China Africa Reporting project, which is managed by the Journalism Department of the University of Witwatersrand of South Africa – who travelled to China on a study tour of their university system. We were hosted by the Communication University of China in Beijing.

What we saw there prompted me to share my experiences and what I believe we might learn from there. There are several basic things which I admired from the Chinese that I wished could be adopted by our country to improve our educational system. At the Communication University of China we were met with hospitality by Chinese students and despite the language barrier, we used sign language to ask for directions to different departments on the campus.

To help foreigners who need help, you simply write your question on a piece of paper. The Chinese input it in their cellphone’s dictionary for Chinese translation and they will reply to you. We were taken to various departments within the university and I was fascinated by its museum which can teach a student how communication evolved by merely looking at communication gadgets used from the 19th to the 21st century.

Being a fanatic of photography, it goes without saying that I was mesmerised by cameras dating back to 1880s on display in the museum. I was able to trace the development of the camera in both still and video. This is something we lack even at national level.

The university has a state of the art television broadcasting station where students can practise daily news reporting, how to become news anchors, television presenters. On the print side, a student is exposed to the earliest models of written communication and how this has evolved over the years. The university also has a state of the art outside broadcasting van used as a learning tool for the students. Here they are able to sharpen their skills daily until they leave to join a career of choice.

Given such a background, it does not need a rocket scientist to imagine the type of graduate such a university releases on to the job market. Unlike most of us in African countries who seek attachments at various newsrooms and television stations to get a feel of the practical side, a Chinese graduate needs orientation on how the company he or she is joining operates and not how to conduct him or herself.

Many will start protesting why the comparison with China, an economic powerhouse. But remember what I just mentioned is basic preservation of ancient equipment like cameras and writings from the ancient times for future use by students. As a country we cannot claim to be financially or technologically advanced.

But this shows that we require to be a responsible lot who collect and preserve such things from individual households even for a small fee, after all the ancient gadgets are no longer usable. I had a chance to interact with Zimbabwean students studying in China pursuing different degrees as I wanted to know how they were copying in their studies and what new things they were learning from Chinese education system.

Tawanda Michael Mahere, now a community manager for Beijing Tech Hive after studying Electronic and Information Engineering at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, attributed his success to Chinese universities’ way of teaching. “There is abundance of learning resources in Chinese universities.

I was studying in Beijing’s Zhongguancun district, where most of the big technological companies are located,” he said. “As an engineering student I was exposed to this ecosystem, including low-cost high quality hardware, as well as the network of Chinese tech entrepreneurs,” he said.

“NUST in Bulawayo is the only University in Zimbabwe that has a concentration of engineering talent, but not the critical mass that you have in Zhongguancun. I had access to some of the brightest engineering minds in China. “Chinese have a different work ethic compared to many African countries and I had to endure countless sleepless nights getting projects and assignments done, a common practice in Chinese universities,” said Mahere.

“Beijing attracts the best and the brightest minds from all over the world. In my dormitory alone, there were over 900 international students from more than 90 countries, from literally every corner of the world. Studying in an environment with such broad diversity of cultures and experiences opened my mind,” he added.

Mahere said he organised a Microsoft Research Asia four times a year. He has been inspiring me as a Zimbabwean because we have worked with tech entrepreneurs who have innovative solutions to important problems in health care, education, agriculture, finance, tourism and many others through the power of the mobile internet.

“As we make internet connectivity accessible to all Zimbabweans, we will be better able to create high value tech companies that will revolutionise our economy. I look forward to using my experience in Beijing to help make that happen in Zimbabwe,” he said.

He said China’s education system was far more competitive and demanding for students, with a heavy focus on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines, something that our Ministries of Education have lately been working on.

He said the intensive Mandarin course which he enrolled in during his early days in China enabled him to overcome the language barrier within a few months of his entry. Mahere said China was providing African students with immense practical skills which could be transformative to the development of their continent.

“We can now speak Mandarin, understand Chinese culture and know how they do business with other people,” he said. “I started a career development programme through which we built up a pipeline of talent in China to companies in Africa by engaging experienced professionals working in China-Africa investment, human resources and consulting.

We held mentorship and ‘China intelligence’ workshops in five different cities in China, reaching over 700 students from more than 20 countries, including more than 300 who participated in person,” said Mahere.

“As a result of this programme, African companies who hire these students are in a better position to serve the more than 1 million Chinese businesspeople and clients living in Africa. They are also in better position to negotiate ‘win-win’ private sector deals with Chinese investors. This is exactly what we need in Zimbabwe if the private sector is to take advantage of the ‘Look East’ policy.”

On fusion of the two countries’ cultures, Mahere said; “Besides developing a strong grasp of China’s 5 000-year old history and Confucian philosophy, I have become a connoisseur of Chinese green tea, drinking it on a daily basis!

“In my first year of studying Mandarin, I sang on Chinese television and played the drum ‘ngoma’ to the amusement of the audience. As a big Thomas Mapfumo fan, I shared his music with my Chinese colleagues, who played it and danced to it at international fora,” he said.

Director of Africa Communication Research Centre and Vice Dean of the Journalism and Communication faculty at the Communication University of China, Professor Zhang Yanqui, said the Chinese education system enables students to fuse academic, practical and theory thereby enhancing the individual’s knowledge and skills.

She said there is a wrong perception of China as reported by western media but people need to visit China and see for themselves. “China and Africa share a common dilemma where they are misrepresented by the western media. There is need for the two continents to join hands and work for the betterment and improvement of that negative image,” she said.

“There is a growing Chinese presence in Africa and also Africans thronging China in different areas such as business, education, health and many other fields. “China annually offers more than 6 000 scholarships to African students to study at its universities in undergraduate and post-graduate degree programmes in various fields. This does not mean we want to corrupt the African minds but we want to open their minds to the reality that we both face from the west,” she said.

Professor Zhang, who has been to many African countries including Zimbabwe on educational exchanges, said despite the criticism China faced from the west, the country’s citizens had managed to remain peaceful and focused on their national development. She said Chinese policy of non-interference in foreign sovereignties had helped it develop faster by concentrating on win-win deals with trading partners.

She described Zimbabwean students at Chinese universities as hard working and concerned about the future of their country in the economic and political spheres which she said differentiated them from many students who were easily brainwashed by foreign education systems. Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to China Ambassador Paul Chikawa said Zimbabwe continued to benefit from the Chinese educational system with graduates making a mark in the world of work.

He said China had a different work ethic, which if embraced by Zimbabweans would greatly improve the economy and intellectual capacity. “Zimbabwe and China have a strong history dating back to the days of the liberation struggle to free Zimbabwe from western colonialists and the two countries continue to collaborate in various areas of mutual benefits to them,” he said.

“There is no better empowerment than education in this world. It is key to life and through the wisdom of our President Cde Robert Mugabe we have looked east where we are reaping the benefits of our collaboration,” he said. “China has a strong work ethic which cannot be matched by any other country. The people here are not lazy and they know what is important for their nation where they can distinguish right from wrong.”

Ambassador Chikawa, who has been interacting with China for close to 20 years, said the Chinese people had managed to preserve their national values from great leaders such as Chairman Mao who continues to be their shining beacon. “Chinese people are very respectful of other races. They respect differences in opinion and the sovereign rights among nations.

I mostly admire their use of idioms and inspirational quotes from their past leaders which seem to inspire them in their day to day life,” he said.

“They cherish their history and they constantly talk of dynasties of many centuries ago. They respect elderly people and look up to them for wisdom and guidance.” Ambassador Chikawa said the Chinese were friendly people always curious to know more about other races, especially the blacks who they cannot stop admiring and keen to have a photoshoot with.

He said unlike in Western countries where being black was ridiculed and blacks subjected to racism, in China being black was being a celebrity; a black person can actually miss a flight at the airport while engaged in numerous photoshoots with curious Chinese nationals who want to have a photo moment with a black person.

This writer also experienced the Chinese photo crazy moments as he went about in Chinese subways and various tourist destinations.

Many Chinese are not conversant with English but use sign language to convey their message and each time we would allow a few to have a photoshoot with us, a queue would quickly emerge. We sometimes had to run away from them so we could catch up on our tight schedule. Ambassador Chikawa said the Chinese people love photos which have helped them to preserve their history and they are always exhibited in their museums.

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