For 2012 Academic Year And Beyond.

The National Executives of the National Union of Ghana Students in China (NUGS-China), would like to use this opportunity to wish all Ghanaians, especially those preparing to further their studies in China, a very prosperous and happy new year.

With the large community of Ghanaian students in China, we would like to encourage and assure all prospective students that, they have made the right decision of choosing China as the place to further their studies, and that the NUGS-China family will be there to provide you with all the love, warmth and support, you would ever need away from home. Not to mention the larger family provided by the newly inaugurated and well functioning Ghanaian Community in China. Under the Chairmanship of Mr. James Asare Tano, the community seeks to bring all Ghanaians in China together in an effort to redeem and showcase the Good name of Ghana. Also with the accreditation of some medical universities in china by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (GMDC), we are very confident to say that the medical education and training in China is very efficient and the medical doctor trained in China is as qualified and meticulous as any qualified doctor trained in any part of the world. Also, The Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Beijing, China, under the meritorious leadership of Her Excellency (Mrs) Helen Mamle Kofi, the Ambassador, is also working hand-in-hand with NUGS-China, to defend the rights of all Ghanaian students and awaken the spirit of solidarity among them. All these positive indicators among others, makes China a true home away from home and provides an environment conducive for academic excellence.

Nevertheless, NUGS-China has observed with great concern that most new students to China are confronted with lots of challenges which may be attributed to ignorance on their part or other people taking advantage of them for their own selfish gains. These challenges include, being deceived and duped of huge sums of money by fraudulent student recruiting agents in Ghana under the pretext of securing them scholarships, teaching jobs, etc., not reading to fully understand the terms of the award letters, inability to pay fees due to financial constraints, inability to be transferred from one university to the other on their request or even change courses in the same university, among others.

The unbearable nature of these challenges has made it very necessary for NUGS-China to come out with the following guidelines for all prospective students to educate them on some of the things they need to know or do before embarking on their journey to China.

1. For those coming through recruiting agents (mostly fee paying or private students), please make sure to cross check all the information you are provided with about the school by visiting the school website online and contacting the international students office directly for confirmation. Please do ask all the questions you may have and demand for explanation for anything you do not understand because it is wisdom to ask than to be axed. If you still have some doubts and unanswered questions, please do not hesitate to contact by E-mail any of the NUGS-China executives for clarification. The contacts can be found on the NUGS-China website www.nugschina.com.

2. For those on the Chinese Government Scholarship administered by the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC), please carefully read the award letter to understand that the award does not include a return air ticket back to Ghana after your studies. There is also no shipment allowance for your personal effects and hence all these cost must be borne by the student after graduating. This is very serious as foreign students (and this cuts across all categories of students) in China are forbidden by the Chinese law to teach or do any part-time teaching jobs, contrary to the rumors circulating in Ghana. If you are caught violating this law, you will be fined a huge sum of money and repatriated home. So the student has to be financially sound and certain to take care of all these expenses before accepting the offer. Also students must be very careful when choosing universities or courses, especially those labeled as being instructed in the English Language. Some of those universities do not have English-proficient professors or tutors and hence has never instructed the said course (s) in the English language. When you make the mistake of not making the necessary checks and enquiries whiles in Ghana, but go ahead to choose the university or said courses and now want to change universities or courses while in China, I can tell you on authority that it is close to impossible to do that. So please do your homework well and feel free to contact NUGS-China for any help.

3. For those on the Ghana Government Scholarship administered by the Scholarship Secretariat, the issue of being extremely careful in choosing the universities or courses also applies. And please do well to provide the Scholarship Secretariat and the Embassy of Ghana in Beijing, China, with your travelling itinerary so that Embassy staff can meet you on arrival at the airport and give you some orientation before sending you on your way to the school. If for any reason (s) you cannot make it through Beijing, but prefer to come through Shanghai or Guangzhou, please make it clear in writing so that the necessary arrangements can be made. Please contact the Scholarship Secretariat for all the details you may need.

With the exception of those on the Ghana Government Scholarship, since their information would automatically get to the Embassy in Beijing, all other prospective students should endeavor to contact the Embassy in Beijing and provide them with their personal information and travelling itinerary in writing so that the Embassy can come to your rescue in case of any unforeseen developments. The documents can be faxed to 0086-1065323602 and call the Embassy office line 0086-01065322012 and ask to speak to the Head of Chancery. Finally, please do remember that China would still be experiencing winter in February and March, and you would do well to bring enough warm clothes to keep you warm.

Long live Ghana! Long live NUGS-China!!

Victor Ganyoame President 0086-13602424061 or 15271818727