China attracting massive influx of Pakistani students

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By: Raja Faisal

  • Chinese varsities promote multiculturalism, provide research-based education 

 

Pakistani students–especially the recent graduates of pre-medical and pre-engineering–are attracted towards travelling to China for higher education.

An immense number of Pakistani students go abroad for higher education in different destinations of the world. The favourite destinations for Pakistani students used to be the USA, UK, Canada and Australia. Understandably, the said countries offered mode of studies is in English language and Pakistani institutions offer pre-degree studies in English language, so it made a lot easier for students – who could afford – to opt for completing higher education in the above-mentioned countries.

With the advent of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Pakistani students consider China as the most favourable destination for higher education as they believe that studying in China would equip them sufficiently to meet the future job requirements on their return to the country. According to statistics of Pakistani high commission in Beijing, currently, 2,700 Pakistani students are PhD and masters scholars in top Chinese universities. These students are on fully funded scholarships sponsored by the Chinese Government Scholarships. Moreover, the Chinese Government Scholarships received over 8 million applications this year alone.

HIGH MERITS OF MEDICAL UNIVERSITIES:

In the country’s medical schools, there are very limited numbers of seats resulting in a very low number of students getting enrolled into universities for MBBS. A very high merit system of enrollments makes it very hard for a majority to continue studies in their desired fields. Merit for Chinese universities for Pakistani students is as low as 60 per cent marks comparing to that of local merit. Though self-financing option is always there for the students in Pakistan price is so high for it that majority of students opt else but medicine as their desired field of higher education. Medical colleges in Pakistan charge as high as one million rupees a year for MBBS. Chinese universities are offering self-financing as low as three lac rupees a year including the hostel charges. Statistics show that the number of Pakistani students doing MBBS in Chinese universities is as high as 15,000 this year.

Anees, who is a student of MBBS in Jiangxi University, said that he opted for China for higher education, basically, for a quality education. “Studying here provides practical work which is a true requirement of any profession”, he added.

China is considered to have few of the best engineering universities in the world. Tsinghua University of Beijing is one of the top 20 universities in the world. Chinese engineering universities are respected largely for their top research facilities. An immense number of Pakistani students are studying engineering at Chinese universities.

BLCU: A MINI UNITED NATIONS:

Furqan Rao, a Pakistani PhD scholar of Beijing Language & Culture University (BLCU), told Pakistan Today that BLCU is considered as a mini United Nations as it accommodates students of more than 150 different nationalities. Chinese universities are promoting multiculturalism which is attracting not only Eastern but the Western students to come to study in China. Mode of studies and exams in China for foreign students is English in the majority of the disciplines. English is the major language of communication in universities. “My dorm compound holds more than 50 nationalities. It feels like an amazing mini-world,” he added.

According to statistics released by the Chinese Education Ministry earlier this year, more than 200,000 students from various countries along the Belt and Road Initiative have been studying in China.

Recently, international students have started preferring Chinese universities over the universities of USA and UK. China offers a large number of scholarships to developing and under developed countries along the Belt and Road Initiative every year. Moreover, Chinese universities offer studies at low rates comparing to their competitors in the West.

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