The Chinese Consul-General in Lagos, Yan Yuqing, said the People’s Republic of China would continue to support Nigeria’s education sector with a view to improving the standard.
Yuqing said this while commissioning a renovated China-Nigeria Friendship Model Primary School in Igbesa, Ogun State.
She said China believes that education is the foundation of national development, hence the need to support the country.
Yuqing noted that education is a powerful tool to eliminate poverty and promote social and economic development, adding that in 2011, China made nine-year compulsory education universal and eliminated illiteracy among young and middle-aged people.
She said, “In less than ten years, China lifted all rural poor out of poverty and eliminated absolute poverty historically. Presently, the popularity of education at all levels in China has reached or exceeded the average level of middle- and high-income countries, among which preschool education and compulsory education have reached the average level of high-income countries in the world, and higher education has entered the stage of universalisation.”
Speaking on the project which was jointly funded between the Consulate and Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone, Yuqing said it has become a bridge of friendship and understanding between Nigeria and China, insisting that Nigeria has witnessed sincere friendship from China.
The Deputy-General, China-Africa Investment, Kevin Liu, said the China-Nigeria Model School stands for knowledge, cultural exchange, and mutual understanding.