From Emmanuel Onwubiko, Chongqing, China

The institutions are the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Universities of Ilorin and Port Harcourt.

Also, the Chinese government has announced that it has made provisions for foreign students to secure scholarship programmes in some Chinese universities.

According to the Nigerian Embassy, President Olusegun Obasanjo gave approval for the introduction of Chinese language in the nation's universities during his April visit to China.

It was gathered from a publication of the Chinese newspaper yesterday that the Chinese government has introduced wide ranging scholarship schemes for foreign students to study in its universities.

Nigerians are to benefit from the special scheme as part of the deliberations held between Obasanjo and President Hu Jintau.

The national vice president of the Chinese African Friendship Association, Mr. Huang Zequau, yesterday applauded the scholarship scheme.

Huang who spoke with The Guardian as part of the 12 African journalists selected by The Peoples Daily of Beijing to tour about 11 provinces in China, expressed joy at the proposed introduction of Chinese language in Nigerian universities. He advised the Federal Government to extend the teaching of Chinese language to some secondary schools in Nigeria. He also expressed optimism that the number of Chinese nationals that could speak the Hausa language will grow in the coming years.

He stated that China was ever more willing to corporate with African countries through the systematic provisions of technical training for the continent's manpower.

He stated that a parley of his association would be held in September 2005 where other wide ranging strategies on how to assist the growth of the African economies would be discussed. Specifically, the publication in the Chinese

Specifically, the publication in the Chinese newspaper noted that since China adopted its opening-up policy in 1978 and widened its policy on receiving foreign students, it has seen a rising number of students of diverse international orientation come to China to study in various universities.

Besides, the current national statistics from the Chinese Ministry of Education indicate that in 2004 alone, 110,844 students from 178 countries came to China to study in about 420 universities. The number is said to be 43 per cent more than that in 2003, breaking the record set throughout the past decade.

The Chinese Education Ministry attributed the rise to the following factors: Educational departments value the work of receiving foreign students; teachers in 420 colleges get continuous training in order to improve teaching efficiency for foreign students; and more and more foreign countries have come to recognise China's higher educational excellence.

Others are: China has signed agreements with Britain, Germany and other countries including Nigeria to mutually recognise academic degrees; China's economic growth and development and traditional culture have greatly attracted foreign students.

With the mutual exchange of trade and economy between China and that of other friendly countries growing, many foreign students are increasingly seeking to come to China to study to enhance their securing jobs in their countries when they return. In the past two years, more and more foreign countries fund their students' study in China.

Last year, for example, 200 students from Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam came to China to study using governments' funds. Local governments such as those in Beijing, Shangai, and Yunan Province, have set up governmental scholarships to assist foreign students including those who may wish to come to China from Nigeria and other African countries; and China is expanding the programme of training foreign students for doctoral degrees by Chinese scholars.