Students from Belarus and China gathered here near student dormitory No. 18, as well as the administration of the BNTU, headed by the rector. Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Igor Vasilievich Karpenko and Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin were also the guests of the grand opening of student dorm No. 18.
See more photos here: files.bntu.by.
Before the opening ceremony, we talked with Oleg Konstantinovich Gusev, Vice-Rector for Academic Activity, and found out some details about this dorm.
— This dormwas built thanks to free technical assistance from the People's Republic of China. We thank them for such a gift. The dorm has 1020 beds, there are all the opportunities for recreation, life and preparation for the study of students. Our state and the BNTU, in particular, have a special program of interaction with China. Our university has the world's only Confucius Institute for Science and Technology.
The opening ceremony began with the traditional planting of the Friendship Tree - cedar pine.
After planting the tree, the guests moved to the entrance to the dorm, where students of the BNTU gathered for the grand opening. The Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus asked students about how they study at BNTU, how they live in a dormitory. Separately, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin also spoke with students from China. Due to the lack of knowledge of the Chinese language, we cannot say for sure what he asked them, but his question caused friendly smiles and laughter.
Then a small press conference was held, at which the Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Igor Karpenko and the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin answered the questions of journalists.
Igor Vasilievich spoke about the construction of other dormitories, the equipment of the campus and the cooperation between China and Belarus.
— Two more student dormitories in Grodno are currently under construction in Belarus. It is planned to build several dorms in the city of Minsk. This is due to the training in our country of a large number of foreign citizens. First of all, it is planned to build a dorm for the University of Physical Education and BSUIR, because they are actively engaged in the export of educational services.
With the advent of this dorm, the student village acquired a finished look. Now there are no free sites for construction. There is a polyclinic, catering points and a psychological center.
We do not divide students into foreign and ours. All of them are studying in our state. By the way, this year in China has been declared the year of Belarusian education. It is very symbolic to open this hostel right now.
Also, the Minister of Education was asked a couple of questions about the changes in the entrance tests at the universities. He assured reporters that they would tell about all future changes, if any, in advance.
After Igor Vasilyevich, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin was invited to reporters. He spoke about the close relations between Belarus and China and the number of Chinese students at BNTU.
— This dorm is a modest gift from the People's Republic of China to our partners. We thank the entire Belarusian people and always remember how in 2008 and 2010 you provided us with humanitarian aid in a difficult situation.
This dorm is the result of successful fruitful work to strengthen bilateral relations between Belarus and China.
I would like to thank the rector of the BNTU, Sergey Vasilievich Kharitonchik, for the fact that he treats our students from China with care. As far as I know, about 60 students from China are studying at BNTU. We will raise the bar and very soon we will cross the 100 mark.
Many children will live here, not only Chinese and Belarusian, but also other nationalities. This will contribute to the dialogue of nations and the strengthening of world peace. In a word, a wonderful platform.
At the end of the press conference, the guests went inside the dormitory. The rector of BNTU Sergey Vasilievich Kharitonchik made a welcoming speech:
“It’s very symbolic right now to open our dormitory No. 18, built using free technical assistance from the People’s Republic of China for two reasons: first, the PRC this year marks the anniversary - 70 years from the date of their foundation, and secondly, this year in China declared the Year of Belarus in China. As Mr. Ambassador told me, in China, the number 18 is lucky. This is both accidental and nonrandom. We are sincerely grateful to the PRC for the implementation of this project. This dormitory is built in a short time and very high quality. I want to thank the builders for this. 1,020 happy children will live here. A barrier-free environment has been created in this dorm. This building is the result of the interaction of Chinese and Belarusian engineers. And, as the rector of the university, I urge all students to learn Chinese! ”
After the rector, the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin addressed the students. He noted the fact that at present about 4000 Chinese students are studying in Belarus, and in China, in turn, about 1000 students from Belarus. At the end of his speech, he decided to keep up with our rector and say a few words in Belarusian. These were the words “Vyaliki jakuy!”
After the guests, the chairman of the Chinese Student Union in Belarus, a graduate student of the Faculty of Engineering Dai Wenqi, were invited to the microphone. He expressed great pride in receiving education in Belarus. He thanked the Chinese Embassy, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus and the BNTU rector for helping to solve absolutely any issue that students have. He noted that in the dorm, in addition to Belarusian and Chinese students, students from other countries also live, and this helps to unite the team. He thanked all involved for such a unique opportunity to exchange traditions and make friends internationally.
On behalf of the Belarusian students, the deputy chairman of the trade union committee of students of the FMMP, a 3rd year student Valeria Tsvetkova, spoke. She thanked everyone for the opportunity to implement such a wonderful project, said that all students were looking forward to its opening. On behalf of the students, she promised to protect this dorm, maintain the traditions and find many new and loyal friends.
Between the performances of the guests and other participants in the grand opening on the improvised stage were artists and singers. The lecture of the Confucius Institute teachers on the national instrument of the PRC, the kulus, was especially memorable.
The completion was the opening of a commemorative plaque. This right was granted to the guests: Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Belarus Tsui Tsimin and Minister of Education of the Republic of Belarus Igor Vasilievich Karpenko.
After that, the rector of BNTU and honored guests went to get acquainted with the material base of the dorm No. 18.
The Republic of Belarus attaches particular importance to strengthening and developing relations with China. Thanks to the joint efforts of the leaders of our states, the Ministries of Education of both countries, we have reached a high level of exchange of educational services. We have something to tell our Chinese colleagues, and they, in turn, have something to share with us. We look in one direction and interact with each other, which allows us to move to the intended goal twice as fast
