Kenyan students based in Shanghai have been encouraged to be innovative and to pick up Chinese best practices to be able to create jobs back in the country.
Speaking on Tuesday during his meeting with them in Shanghai, Kenya Embassy in Beijing Education Attaché Innocent Mogunde said that given the reality of the unemployment problem in Kenya, the students should develop innovative ideas to create opportunities for themselves and others when they return.
During the roundtable discussion with the students, Mogunde said the welfare of Kenyan students in China remains the focal point of his mandate.
"I applaud our students for their ability to adjust to the demanding curriculum in China. I reiterate the necessity to remember that academic success is the primary goal, and students must stay focused," Mogunde said.
He said his office is open to students, encouraging them to reach out to him whenever they need help, even as he urged them to respect laws and regulations in China to avoid getting into problems.
He said his office is addressing various challenges the students in China have raised such as requests for internships, especially for students studying medicine, and inclusion of tropical diseases in their curriculum so that they are relevant in their practice.
“With the arrival of the new ambassador, Amb Willy Bett, and his deputy, Amb Lynette Mwende, I believe we have a huge impetus and we will be able to achieve more because they are picking quickly issues to do with students. With their leadership, I hope we will be able to achieve more things and faster,” he said.
During the meeting, Mogunde awarded certificates to seven outgoing officials of the executive committee of Kenyan Students in Shanghai led by Nelson Owate.
Twelve other students among them campus representatives and members who excelled in service and support to the Kenyan community in Shanghai were also recognized. They included students undertaking bachelor's, master's and PhD.
Owate, the outgoing students’ association president thanked Mogunde for “mentorship, empowerment and passionately addressing students’ matters".
“My team and I are honored to be awarded these certificates with the blessing of your office. A testimony that our service to the Kenyan students in Shanghai is appreciated," Owate said.
He also thanked the students for embracing brotherhood and urged them to continue looking out for each other and work with the incoming officials.
