KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian students score well in China, as higher learning institutions in the country see them as hardworking, respectful and possess good learning capabilities.
At Zhejiang University in China, there are close to 25,000 undergraduates and 20,000 Master and PhD students. There are around 2,000 international students at the university of which 105 are Malaysians.
Zhuo Jian Tong, a representative from Zhejiang University, said the university hopes to recruit more Malaysian students.
“Malaysian students are very hardworking, and they do not have a problem with the Chinese language,” he commented when interviewed at the 2011 China Higher Education Exhibition at Sabah Tshung Tsin Secondary School (STTSS) here yesterday.
He revealed that most Malaysian students who studied at the university took up Chinese language course, while others chose Chinese literature, mass communication, journalism and science courses.
Zhuo further said Zhejiang University is ranked among the top three universities in the country, on par with Shanghai Jiangtong University.
In addition, tuition fees at China universities are said to be cheaper compared to universities in Australia and Europe.
A Bachelor’s degree starts from 19,800 RMB a year, while a medicine course costs around 30,000 RMB annually. A hostel room for two students costs around 6,000 RMB a year, while cost for meals is around 20 RMB a day.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingfeng, director of admissions and brand management and extension centre of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, noticed an increasing number of Malaysian students pursuing a degree in traditional Chinese medicine in the past few years.
Last year, the university recorded enrollments of 20 Malaysian students, half of which were on scholarship sponsored by the Chinese government.
Currently there are around 900 international students at the university, including 80 Malaysian students.
“Although Malaysian students come from different independent schools, they have good learning capabilities compared to their counterparts from other countries.”
She further described Malaysian students as respectful, hardworking, good in academics, active in clubs as well as rich in culture.
However, Shen lamented that people in Malaysia are still skeptical of the skills of a traditional Chinese medical practitioners as few practitioners have certification.
“Hence, we hope Malaysian students can learn traditional Chinese medicine in China and use their expertise to create a more professional environment as well as to increase the standard in this field.”
A five-year bachelor’s course in traditional Chinese medicine costs 28,000 RMB a year, and students have the opportunity to further their degree to master’s level with an additional two years.
Shen pointed out that the course is not just limited to traditional Chinese medicine as 40 per cent of the teaching encompasses western medicine knowledge.
This not only provides students with background information on western medicine but also enables them to pursue a degree in western medicine if they wish to, she said.
On the other hand, Yujuan Chen, international affairs officer from Beijing Jiaotong University School of Software Engineering, was keen to recruit more Malaysian students at the education fair.
While she said Malaysian students may find mathematics difficult, independent school students have an advantage in language, particularly English.
Currently the university has 22,000 students, of which 400 are international students. There are only around 10 Malaysian students in the university.
She pointed out that studying in China would allow students to experience the culture, economy and politics of the country.
Chen further said students who studied software engineering were guaranteed 100 per cent job opportunity.
Tuition fee at the university ranges from RM10,000 to RM14,000, while living costs add up to around RM4,000 annually.