“The 2021/2022 Chinese Government Scholarship will be open for application soon. The Chinese Embassy will cooperate with the Ministry of Education of Somalia to provide Somali young students with opportunities of studying in China. Retweet and stay tuned!” tweeted the Embassy.
The Somali Ministry of Education will oversee the distribution of scholarships.
China, like the United Kingdom, is putting timely investment into Somali human capital although questions will be raised about the timing with Taiwan and its regional ally, Somaliland, becoming increasingly prominent in the Horn of Africa. Somaliland earlier this year chose to recognise Taiwan despite vociferous protests by Beijing and the Chinese ambassador in Mogadishu.
“The scholarships are an opportunity for Somali students to take their knowledge to another level. Improving the quality of higher education institutions in Somalia will go a long way in helping Somali students perform well at graduate schools” says Abdullahi Botan, a lecturer at the University of Bosaso.
The Chinese Embassy will publish details about subjects and criteria for selecting scholarship candidates in due course.
This article first appeared in the © Puntland Post, 2020 and is republished with permission.