(at Omdurman China-Sudan Friendship Girls'High School at 10:00 on December 1, 2022)
Principal Hala Alshrif,
Mr. Li Gang, Deputy General Manager of CNPC International (Nile) Ltd.
Teachers and students,
Friends and colleagues,
Good morning.
It is a great pleasure to see you all here again. This is my last visit to your school. As my tenure as Chinese Ambassador to Sudan is drawing to a close, I have witnessed first-hand the new look of the Omdurman China-Sudan Friendship Girls’ High School before my departure. It fills my mind with a myriad of thoughts.
Over my three years and more in Sudan, my colleagues and I have visited the school many times and done as much as we could to help the school improve its conditions. We helped renovate the school playground, harden up the ground and build the auditorium and pavilion. We also planted trees symbolizing our friendship at the campus. Now, the school becomes better equipped with computers, desks and chairs, air conditioners, televisions and rostrums donated by us. Students are offered school bags and stationery, and have access to a new multi-media classroom.
In response to the call of the Chinese Embassy, the CNPC International (Nile) Ltd. donated over 400,000 yuan to aid the latest round of renovation of the school in the past three months. This is Chinese companies’ efforts to fulfill their social responsibility. Thanks to its monetary aid, the schools is able to have its power system upgraded with a larger capacity and classrooms, corridors and exterior walls of the teaching building repainted. In addition, tailor-made desks and chairs are provided for over 200 students, and the rooftop space of the teaching building was restored and rebuilt into the venue for student activities.
This is the latest achievement of our bilateral cooperation in education. I am very happy to see that our unremitting efforts have delivered fruitful results. I am also delighted that teachers will work with better teaching facilities and students are able to study in better conditions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping noted that, “A country will prosper when its education flourishes”. Education is a priority of national development in the long run. Input in the education sector will benefit generations to come. Since our two nations established diplomatic relations 63 years ago, our cooperation in education has been a fine example of bilateral friendship.
So far, more than 2,000 Sudanese students have returned home after finishing their studies under the Chinese government scholarship program. Over tens of thousands of Sudanese friends have received professional skills training in China. They now dedicate themselves to their work in Sudan in various sectors. Many of them have been at the very top of their respective profession and become a pillar of promoting China-Sudan friendship. We are pleased to see that a growing number of young people in Sudan get attracted toward China. For many Sudanese students, furthering their studies in China has become their first choice. In Sudan, Chinese language has been the most popular university major. The Confucius Institute at the University of Khartoum has nurtured and trained more than 30,000 Chinese language learners since its establishment 13 years ago.
As we know, the people of Sudan always keep a sense of initiative to embrace constant learning. I sincerely hope that with these new facilities, desks and chairs, students will study harder so that you will become the backbone of your country’s development in the future and continue the friendship between our two nations.
Teachers and students,
The baton of China-Sudan friendship is now passed to us. Let’s join hands and work together to add new luster to our friendship.
Thank you.