Yunnan University in China opens doors to Filipino students

KUNMING CITY, China—To further strengthen its ties  with South and Southeast  Asian nations,  China  has  opened  its door for  another area of collaboration,  this time, in the sector  of education.

In August this year, representatives from Yunnan University in China are planning to come to the Philippines to conduct an admissions seminar.

The 300-hectare Yunnan University is one of the largest universities in China but it also wants to be recognized as a “regional first-class” university throughout the world.

Yang Hua, vice president of   the university’s international college, noted that  for more than 20 years,  the university has been recruiting foreign students.

This year, Hua said, they expect to recruit 800 foreign students.

“We have a plan to recruit foreign students, and we will go to the Philippines in August to conduct an admissions seminar,” she said.

But  for a country  where  English  language  is spoken and understood  by a few,  getting more students from other nations is not an easy task.

So to encourage more foreign students to enroll in the university, it has decided to open six English courses— Civil Engineering; Electronic Information Engineering; Computer Science and Technology; Software Engineering, International Economy and Trade; and Business Administration.

“This is to adapt to the development of the University…” Li Wei, Dean at Yunnan’s School of International Education, said in a recent briefing with journalists from South and Southeast Asia nations.

Wei said  offering  English courses is a  “new move” for the university, which offers 94 bachelors degree, 236 masters degree and 115 doctors degree .

“We offer English courses or English majors for the international students so [it would be easier  for them  to choose a major],” he said.

At present,  Wei said about 80  percent of the international students of  Yunnan University  are sponsored by various scholarships, including the Chinese government scholarship, Confucius Institute scholarship, Yunnan Provincial Government scholarship, Yunnan University scholarship, among others.

Invited journalists from Asian nations for the recently concluded 5th China-South Asia Expo  had  a chance  to take a peek  inside the campus of Yunnan University.    /muf

Below are some of the photos taken inside the campus during a quick tour this month: