China’s trade and assistance to Africa within the past two decades surpasses that of Europe and America combined and that is not debatable- China has done far more for the continent economically than all of Africa’s Western trading partners combined.

Some critics argue that despite China’s tremendous assistance to countries in Africa, the scale is still not balance; they opine that economies of scale haven’t been achieved in the highly promoted partnership. Nonetheless, most African countries are comfortable and appreciate their partnerships in trade agreements with China. However, one area of China’s policy towards Africa that has come under constant scrutiny is the grey area of education.

Critics of Chinese policies in Africa assert that China awards scholarships to students from African countries based on trade deals. They agree that the intention is good but little is achieved from such schemes. Most students especially those offered majors in science and medicine return home and are tagged as half-baked doctors and therefore go through very stringent exams and procedures before given permission to practice. Some countries have totally refused to allow undergraduates to study in China and prefer scholarships for only post-graduate students who are enrolled in English-taught majors, matured and able to resist the lures of the extravagant lifestyle of some foreign students in China.

As seen in recent reports, China is among the front-runners for foreigners choosing to study abroad. The mainland is the third largest recipient of foreign students according to a 2013-2014 reports. Most foreign students before entry into China are fascinated about all the news going round in international circles about China’s astronomical rise. They choose to study in China knowing that the environment and culture including the language are different but unaware of the unforeseeable challenges that awaits them. They come to China holding dear to the promises of good education and a shot at life but some dreams are shattered badly on the way, mainly due to the language barrier.

Undergraduate Students, mostly from African countries have had their scholarships discontinued after a year or two (that is a lot of time wasted) basically because they can’t simply compete with their Chinese counterparts due to the language barrier. The sad part is most of these students are awarded scholarships because they are smart and distinguished students; however their lack of proficiency in Chinese becomes a major setback on their road to success. All undergraduate students according to Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) policy are required to offer their major courses in Chinese after a one-year Chinese language course.

That is a one-year language course with vacations and Chinese National holidays in between- that makes up to at most 9 months of intensive language tuition. Any foreigner, even an old China hand who has studied Chinese language would truthfully admit that one cannot study a language as difficult as Chinese for only a year and compete with native Chinese students in an exam that requires theoretical reasoning. It’s simply impossible. This has rendered the majority of foreign students who cannot achieve this task the laughing stock of Chinese friends and professors. For students coming from French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries, the situation is even more worrisome- they’ll have to go through a series of translations from Chinese to English and from English to for example French, Spanish or whichever language they speak.

I will emphasize here that the one-year intensive language course is sufficient to enable students easily communicate with locals and go about their daily activities but insufficient for theoretical reasoning that requires a lot of research and proficiency in certain terminologies that are often not taught in language schools. Then again, the majority of students easily pass the required proficiency test HSK, but looks all dumb and confused when the real lectures begin. Those who don’t pass the proficiency test after subsequent sittings are sent home.

Even the smartest students who pass the test go through a hell of a time trying to make meaning of what is being taught in class. This is where the fittest survive. Most lecturers and professors understand their predicament and assist them whichever possible way they could. The weak ones just fall apart and give up.

There isn’t much time to apportion blame. That would be counterproductive. However, the focus here (paradigm shift) cannot be fully achieved without noting what is unintentionally been ignored by CSC due to the herculean task of managing students from different countries and cultures across the globe. The Council since its inception has done a tremendous job and deserves praise and commendation. It has single handedly integrated more foreigners into Chinese society and educational system than any other organization in China - further strengthening China’s opening up policy in education and cultural exchange.

What can be done however, to remedy a worsening situation is to identify the most salient problem, already mentioned above (language barrier) and strategize on how to rectify this anomaly so that students who have not yet become victims would be spared. Failure to do so would amount to inconsistencies in China’s policy to assist in the training of Africa’s future leaders, leaders whom the continent would look up to, to kick-start its industrial revolution.

I’m using African students as a case study simply because the majority of foreign students who pursue undergraduate courses in China are from Africa- very few students from South East Asia, Asia Pacific, South America, and other European countries (virtually none) pursue undergrad courses in China. All other foreign students mostly Americans, Europeans, and others specifically major in Chinese language and culture.

So the question is; what exactly is CSC not doing that it can do to improve the Chinese government scholarship scheme. And by so doing transform the dreams of international students under scholarships into realities when they return home.

1. CSC should start listening to student’s grievances.
   

First of all, most students are scared to death to make direct contact with CSC even through the right channels because of being victimized by their host institutions. This issue is very dicey and a student would do so at his or her own peril. When a bold student left with no other choice goes ahead to make their grievances known to CSC, they either get no response and when they do, they’re directed back to the host institution which further threatens students with expulsion and in some cases expelled.

1. CSC should encourage host institutions to assist excellent students with internship opportunities
   

We all know the importance of internships- learning on the job. Hardly does anyone, even post-graduate students get the opportunity to intern at institutions where they can have a hands-on experience. A few do, but not undergrad students. Because of the language barrier, they barely grab anything in class. All they rely on are the English course books they buy online and online content (resulting in a lot of plagiarized term papers and thesis).

Secondly, most undergrads are not familiar with the research method. They hardly understand the process. So what can be done to help excellent students who are eager to make the best of their studies in China is for CSC to implore host institutions to identify such students for internship opportunities under the assumption that a few students given such opportunities could make a world of difference.

3 The language problem

I’m not against undergrad students offering their majors in Chinese even though it is hurting a sizable proportion of undergrad students under Chinese government scholarship. That is the policy and a major pre-condition before acceptance of a scholarship. It’s a take it or leave it condition and not debatable as most students later realize.

But is it in the right direction when a program meant to train scholars who can compete in this current rigid international economy isn’t achieving its full potential because of a nationalistic policy to indoctrinate international students. The way forward without scrapping this policy as I see it, is to re-design the language programs in a way where the course bends at least 70 percent towards a student major course. Without this shift, international students especially medical doctors from China would be watched eyes-wide-open in the operating room.