Ambassador Foh admonishes new students to be hard working

Sierra Leone’s envoy to the People’s Republic of China, also with accreditation to several other countries in the southeast Asia pacific region, Victor Bockarie Foh has, on Thursday 5^th September, called on dozens of Sierra Leonean students who arrived in Beijing, to pursue different courses of academia to be hard working, be good representatives of Sierra Leone and never “put down the flag of our country…”

A total of 32 students arrived on Thursday 5^th September. 3 of them will be pursuing PhD degrees, 22 for Master degrees and 7 students for Bachelor degrees. Their areas of studies include, but not limited to; Industrial Economics, Human Resource Management, Public Administration, Clinical Medicine, Civil Engineering, Applied Economics, Petroleum Engineering, Information and Communication and Agricultural Mechanization.

Addressing the students during a dinner organized by the Embassy in collaboration with the Student Union Executive, Ambassador Foh encouraged them to learn lessons from those they have met. He implored them not to “forget the reasons that brought” them to China, saying they have not arrived in China as tourists but as students. “You toiled hard to get this scholarship. I therefore encourage you to make good use of this opportunity.”

Ambassador Foh also stated, that if they, as students, ever fail to achieve their desired goals, society will laugh them and as such also encourage them to be “successful and good examples to emulate” On the need for them to be united, he called on them to be one Sierra Leonean group. “You are all students and as students, your focus must be your areas of disciplines. Study very hard. Forget about local politics back home. Concentrate on your studies. There is always reward in hard work. To be a student you make a lot of sacrifices.”

Ambassador Foh also beseeched the students not to forget that they have left their relatives behind, as “what those relatives hope to see is when you shall have succeeded in your studies and return home to contribute to national development.” The public, he went on, “will watch and criticize you so, be mindful of what you do say and where you go. You are ambassadors from Sierra Leone and as such put on the best behavior.”

Admonishing them to always visit the Embassy, Ambassador Foh said, the Sierra Leone Embassy in Beijing is a property for all Sierra Leoneans “Let nobody get you scared off the Embassy. It is your base, your home and institution and it belongs to you all…don’t deny the privileges the embassy may have to offer you”

On issues dealing with the People’s Republic of China, Ambassador Foh informed the students, that as a people, the Chinese have their principles to which, discipline is one of them. He called on the students not to meddle in Chinese politics. “Don’t forget the rules of engagement as for 42 years, we have had fruitful relations with China and we must build on that”, he said, and he also called on them to “always go by the ‘One China’ policy”

Meanwhile, Ambassador Foh also used the opportunity to inform the general students’ body in China about the arrival of their allowances from the Sierra Leone Government. He thanked the Minister of Education, Dr Minkialu Bah, someone he referred to0 as “a steadfast worker and a firm character that deserves a lot of praise.” He called on the students to also realize that it is the Government back home, that is raising taxes to support them in their studies and as such “praise must be given to our government since it cares for education…”

Also present at the event was the Chairman for the Sierra Leone Community in China, Lamin Tura. He commended the Sierra Leone Government for paying attention to building the country’s human resource. He also thanked the Chinese Government for offering scholarship opportunities to Sierra Leone. He called on students to be hard working and go through the challenges attached to their studies. “There are difficulties, but give your time to your studies and your best to country”

Statements were made by the President of the Students Union, Alimamy Kargbo and the Secretary-General Alhassan Kamara.

The 32 students have left for their various Universities, including Tongi University in Shanghai, Shandong University in Xian City, Tianjin University in Yanshan, University of Science and Technology in Beijing, Wuhan University of Technology, Harbin Engineering University, China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, Jilin University in Changchun, amongst other Universities.

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