As
part of continuing academic linkage and collaboration between the
Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Xiamen University, China, under the
auspices of the Confucius Institute, 10 young lecturers who have earlier
been nominated and sent to China for a 2-week programme, have recently
returned to the country. This is the first time this sort of exchange
involving academics would be happening.
The ten young lecturers of Nnamdi Azikiwe University have successfully completed the 2week academic-cultural exchange program and have returned penultimate weekend to Nigeria and indeed the University to bring their wealth of rich experience to bear in the development of the university. News reaching Odogwu Blog from one of the Lecturers, Mr Chikezie Emmanuel Uzuegbunam, a Lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication of the University has it that the "UNIZIK-CHINA 10" as they are fondly called, visited two great cities in China for this purpose – the ancient city of Xiamen and the capital city of Beijing. The scholars were Visiting Scholars to Xiamen University and also were in Beijing for mostly the cultural part of the program where they toured monumental places including the Badaling Great Wall of China, The Ancient Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square, The Summer Palace, Olympic Stadium Park, Temple of Heaven, to mention a few. The young scholars also had opportunity to ride the fastest train in China as well as travelled by ship to a monumental Island in Xiamen.
Earlier, the keen scholars were distributed under brief placements according to their disciplines in one of China's oldest Universities - Xiamen University at Funjian Province, where symposiums with students and staff of departments were held as well as a tour of facilities at the Faculty of Law, Dept of chemical engineering, School of Journalism and Communication, Dept of Film and Theatre Studies, Dept of Linguistics and Dept of History and Intl Studies. These events saw the UNIZIK young lecturers excelling and making lasting impressions on the visited faculties and departments. Most of them made Power point presentations, presented souvenirs from their home departments and had interactions with the students and staff which culminated in the indications of future partnerships and more rewarding exchanges between Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Xiamen University.
Expressing his gratitude and sense of fulfilment on behalf of the lecturers, Rev Fr Dr Maurice Izunwa a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law said that the entire program had been integrative, affecting every area of his life as a lecturer and as a person. He enthused that he has been deeply inspired to change his teaching and research approaches as well as his relationship with his environment. While describing the program as very worthwhile and enriching for him and others, he remarked that all of them are very eager to return to UNIZIK to better inspire their students and colleagues. The Visiting Scholars were drawn from a number of departments in UNIZIK. They include Mr Chikezie Emmanuel Uzuegbunam and Miss Ngozi Emmanuel (Mass Comm), Miss Idara Hanson (History and Intl Relations), Mr Somtoo Arinze-Umobi and Mr Onyeka Ebekue (Theater Arts), Mrs Martha Egenti and Mr Dereck-Martins Orji (Linguistics), Barr Ejike Okaphor and Rev Fr. Maurice Izunwa (Law) and Engr Chukwunonso Okoye (Chemical Engineering).
Press Release from
Chikezie Emmanuel Uzuegbunam, M.Sc.,B.Sc.,PDip.
Lecturer, Department of Mass communication, Faculty of Social Sciences
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka - Nigeria
Post a Comment