Students blazing a trail for Belt and Road future

"It still fell short of my target," says 22-year-old Lilian Lumayo, who plans to join an electronic information course at Ningbo.

But the department offered her another option: to consider going to China under a scholarship program. She immediately jumped at the opportunity and submitted her application. After a rigorous selection process, she qualified together with three other students.

Elizabeth Andia, 25, says: "I am fortunate that the program is what I desired to pursue. I have always wanted to be an electro-mechanical engineer and that is what I will embark on starting from September."

Settling down has not been difficult, they say, since the local students and college lecturers have been welcoming. They have had to take Chinese language competency classes to enable them join other students in the regular programs.

But, according to the president of the college, Zhang Huibo, his institution is in the process of building the lecturers' capacity for using English as the language of instruction. Already some programs are taught in English, he says. The college offers more than 30 major programs.

"The success of the BRAIEC hinges on the ease of integrating foreign students into the Chinese higher education system. Therefore, the countries along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road have to conquer the communication and cultural barriers that still exist."