The Cross River State Government, through the state-owned University of Cross River State, UNICROSS has entered into a partnership with Zhenjiang College in China to promote academic collaboration and institutional development.
CRS governor, Bassey Otu, represented by his deputy, Peter Odey, disclosed this when he received in audience, the management of UNICROSS and representatives of Zhenjiang College in Calabar
Odey expressed hope that the partnership would be a long-term initiative aimed at fostering educational and cultural exchange between both institutions. He also encouraged Skyrun, a partner company in the collaboration, to establish a factory in the state to further strengthen economic ties and improve the socio-economic well-being of residents.
“I assure you that Cross River State remains safe for business and conducive for partnership”, and commended Unicross management, led by the VC, Francisca Bassey, for revitalizing the institution and driving international engagement. “When you took over, there were challenges, but through proactive leadership, you restored stability and progress,” Odey said.
Odey further recalled his role in sponsoring the bill that changed the institution’s name from Crutech to Unicross, noting that the goal was to broaden the university’s scope and reach.
“The dream then was to expand its mandate, and I’m happy to see that today we are witnessing international collaborations like this, which will benefit both the university and the state. We also look forward to the take-off of the Faculty of Medicine and the commencement of Law studies in Unicross” he added.
Speaking earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Unicross, Francisca Bassey, described the partnership as a major step toward making the institution globally competitive.
“As part of our efforts to ensure that the state-owned institution is globally exposed and relevant, we have initiated this collaboration with Zhenjiang College in China, in partnership with the Skyrun Company. We also intend to develop a cooperative relationship with the Zhenjiang High School of Technology,” she said.
Highlighting the academic and cultural value of the partnership, especially in promoting language and technological exchange, Bassey said: “It gladdens my heart to know that our potential students in China usually spend about a year learning the language. Similarly, Chinese students can collaborate with us in teaching and cultural exchange. This will allow our students to learn Chinese, while their students learn our language and culture.”
She noted that the partnership would cover key fields such as artificial intelligence, AI, electric vehicles, vocational training, and certificate programmes, with prospects for Chinese students to study in Nigeria in the future.
“The collaboration will be mutually beneficial. Our partners have also expressed interest in sending their students here to pursue degree programmes in due course,” she added.
Credit: Deputy Governor’s Press Unit, Government House, Calabar.
