MARKETING MEETING WITH KENYATTA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (KUSA) OFFICIALS
On the afternoon of January 31st 2022, Confucius Institute Director Dr. Hellen Kiende Guantai met KUSA officials in her office to discuss the Begginner’s in Chinese Language and Culture course. During the recent Career Week, contact was established with the University student governing body who discovered that for only Ksh. 2000 Bonafide KU students could learn Chinese language and culture at the Institute.
The officials said many students were not aware of the subsidy offered and were more than willing to partner with the Institute to popularize the course to the student body. They proposed partnership that will see KUCI grace many relevant KUSA events, publish adverts on the KUSA website and make use of KUSA ambassadors to do door to door marketing of the course. They sought clarity on how the Institute administers classes to cater for all KU students, when exams are administered and how the certification is done.
KUCI Administrator encouraged them to ask students to take up the course as classes are held in the evening from 5:30 PM after normal classes. She said exams are also administered at least 2 weeks before the University’s main exams to avoid clashes. She said many KU students have benefited from the course by graduating as multilingual professionals that serve the ever growing need for Chinese language speakers in Kenya.
The Director reassured KUSA of her support and emphasized the need to add unique certifications to one’s degree to increase marketability. She said the students can also get scholarships to further their Chinese language study at Shandong Normal University in China and or seek postgraduate scholarships in different fields. She said the partnership with China offers many opportunities to students which should be seized while they are still students of KU.
The meeting that was attended by 5 KUSA officials namely; Mohhamed Ibrahim (KUSA organizing Secretary), Teddy Odhiambo (KUSA Secretary General), Kennedy Mugambi (Chair KUSA ambassadors), Akinah Jabes (KUSA committee member) and Michael Asule (Ambassador KUSA).
From left: Kennedy Mugambi (KUSA ambassador’s Chair), Teddy Odhiambo (KUSA Secretary General), Dr. Hellen Kiende Guantai (KUCI Director), Mohhamed Ibrahim (KUSA Organizing Secretary), Ms. Ruth Sarah Achieng’ (KUCI Administrator) and Akinah Jabes (KUSA committee member)
From left; Akinah Jabes (KUSA committee member), Mohhamed Ibrahim (KUSA organizing Secretary), Teddy Odhiambo (KUSA Secretary General), Dr. Hellen Kiende Guantai (Director KUCI), Kennedy Mugambi (KUSA ambassador’s Chair), and Michael Asule (Ambassador KUSA). After the meeting at KUCI Director’s office.