Chinese firm rescues Mugabe's Presidential Scholarship

Zimbabwe and a Chinese company Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding under which the company will fund at least 100 students on the Presidential Scholarship Scheme annually.

Under the agreement, the company would start to fund the students who would pursue their studies in China beginning August next year.

The MoU was signed by the director of the Presidential Scholarship Chris Mushohwe and Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng's general manager for Zimbabwe Mr Brian He.

Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng becomes the first private company to partner Government in funding the Presidential Scholarship Scheme which had so far benefited 20 000 students since its inception.

Speaking after signing the MoU at his Munhumutapa Offices, Mushohwe, who is also the Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister said the MoU was a curtain raiser to major agreements to be signed today by President Mugabe and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

"This is the curtain raiser for the mega deals tomorrow that will be witnessed by the Heads of State from the Peoples Republic of China and Zimbabwe.

"There are going to be quite some major mega deals that will be signed tomorrow. This has come at the appropriate time to pave the way to warm the path and to clear the gates to those agreements.

"This is the beginning of good things to happen tomorrow."

Minister Mushohwe hailed the Chinese company for supporting the Presidential Scholarship Scheme saying it dovetailed with President Mugabe's passion to see all children in Zimbabwe receiving higher education.

He described President Mugabe as a great teacher who introduced an education policy that had benefited several high profile people since independence.

Minister Mushohwe said soon after independence, President Mugabe offered three of his offices at Zimbabwe House under the Prime Minister's study programme to assist newly appointed commanders in the army and ministers who had left schooling mid stream to join the liberation struggle.

He said President Mugabe taught law for university students and Advanced Level economics.

"The Prime Minister who is now President Mugabe himself also was a teacher," he said.

"He (President Mugabe) was the only one who taught degree programmes. He taught LLB to those who had done Advanced Level who were embarking on degree programmes.

"I was also roped in as a teacher and I taught the former Vice President Joice Mujuru. I taught her accounts and economics at Ordinary Level.

"The President, in addition to teaching law, taught A Level Economics and I would assist if he was not available in teaching A Level Economics and that is the genesis of the Presidential Scholarship."

Mr He said the scholarship programme was part of his company's corporate social responsibility.

Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng Company is incorporated in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. It is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and has over 20 subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Singapore, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The company specialises in electric power infrastructure and energy investment, non-ferrous metal mine operation and industrial chain integration among other operations.