KOTA KINABALU: Minister of Special Tasks, Datuk Teo Chee Kang’s working visit to Tsinghua University and Peking University, with leaders from four education bodies in Sabah, has opened the doors for Sabahan students intending to further their studies at higher learning institutions in China.
Teo led a 23-member entourage on a working visit to the two prestigious Chinese universities from September 21 to 28, where he was graciously invited to speak to Chinese entrepreneurs and key officials at the Market Economy Academy of Peking University and Tsinghua Bauhinia Management Training Centre.
Sabah Independent Secondary Schools Association (Sabah Dong Zong) chairman Tan Sri Andrew Liew Sui Fatt said the visit to Tsinghua University and Peking University was meaningful as it enabled those individuals driving Chinese education in Sabah to learn more about the two universities.
“We have gained a lot of valuable information that will be useful in carrying out education developments (in Sabah),” he said.
Liew added members of the entourage were impressed with the education system in China and the discipline the Chinese display at their workplace.
During a dialogue session with Yang Shizhuo, who heads the Tsinghua Bauhinia Management Training Centre at Tsinghua University, Liew made a request to the university to provide training for Sabahan teachers from Chinese independent schools and primary schools.
“Yang readily agreed to our request to provide training courses for our teachers,” he said.
Liew hoped that there would be working visit to other Chinese universities in the future, adding that Sabah Dong Zong had previously organized such a trip to Xinjiang.
He also expressed his gratitude to Teo for organizing the visit to the two prestigious universities in China.
Meanwhile, The Association of Sabah National Type Chinese School Management Committee (Sabah Dong Lian) chairman, Ben Lim Kiat Kong, said it was a rare opportunity that four major education bodies in Sabah could take part in a working visit of this nature.
Lim said the dialogues between Teo and the officials at Tsinghua University and Peking University were fruitful.
“We are pleased to see that Datuk Teo Chee Kang is pursuing wider opportunities for school leavers in Sabah, especially students from Chinese independent schools, to study abroad in China.”
Lim said this visit had also benefited teaching staff in Chinese independent schools as Tsinghua University and Peking University would soon provide training for them.
On a related note, Lim said parents were generally more inclined to send their children to Australia or European countries for further studies. However, he said the mindset is gradually changing and he believed that it would become more common for Sabahan students to have their tertiary studies in China.
He said the trip also conveyed a message to parents that the Malaysian Chinese have good connections with their counterparts in China, therefore sending their children to Chinese universities would be a good option.
Lim added that the education development here would also benefit from the increase of Chinese tourists and investors to Sabah.
On the other hand, Sabah Chinese Primary School Working Committee chairman Datuk William Chu said he fervently hoped that Tsinghua University and Peking University would appoint their lecturers to train the teaching staff of the Chinese schools in Sabah.
“We hope that this working visit led by Datuk Teo Chee Kang will achieve this result.”
During the dialogue session, Chu said Tsinghua University had expressed their willingness to provide training courses. This implies that Chinese independent school students in Sabah will have an option to further their studies in Tsinghua University, Peking University or other universities in China, he said, adding that the tuition fee in China would be relatively cheaper.
Chu also urged Chinese independent schools to have more dialogues and exchanges with Chinese universities in order to obtain scholarships for their students.
Sabah Chinese School Teachers Association chairman Datuk Eng Thiam Leong thanked Teo for inviting him to join the working visit, which allowed him to learn more about the two universities, the courses offered and their management strategies.
“There are also many talents in Sabah. If we manage them well, Sabahan students can also ‘boleh’ (excel)!”
As a teacher and civil servant in Sabah, Eng was honoured to be given the opportunity to join the trip, listen to Teo’s address at Tsinghua University and Peking University where the latter talked about the various industries and rich natural resources in Sabah. He believed that Teo could further enhance education and culture developments between Sabah and China.