Programme Director
His Excellency, the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China to South Africa
Director-General of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
The Acting Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training
CEO’s of our line function SETAs present tonight
Members of Senior Management of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
The fifteen students successfully admitted by various universities in the Peoples Republic of China
Ladies and gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to address you on this matter of our engagement with the Peoples Republic of China.
South Africa is currently enjoying a magnificent relationship with the Peoples Republic of China. This relationship manifests itself through trade, technology transfer and training. This growing relationship was further strengthened by the recent official visit of President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by various Ministers and other key role players from South Africa. This visit, which took place in 2010 further opened more opportunities of engagement with China.
As a developing economy there is more to learn from China. There is also more we can learn from them in the area of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. As a developmental state, South Africa is still wrestling with a number of issues, and the experiences of our International partners like China can undoubtedly benefit us.
At the beginning of 2010 when I met for the first time with the staff of DAFF and addressed them, I, among others, urged that the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries must send scores of young people to various overseas countries’ universities with special reference to the People Republic of China. I indicated that the benefit of this goes beyond merely obtaining a qualification. The benefit both for the student and his/her home country centers on international experience gained and discovering new and different ways of doing things. Our country and sector need this. As I stand here tonight, I am delighted to realise that the department has heeded my call.
As a department we have a myriad of technical agreements signed with various international partners. We can benefit from these agreements if we are serious about exploiting them. Based on our signed agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture in China the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has during September 2010 sent a technical team to China to visit a number of universities and to negotiate with them to place our students. We further called on the technical team to discuss the possibilities of scholarships with the universities for our students.
I have been made aware that with some universities full scholarship was obtained while with some 50% scholarship was obtained. This is a big achievement.
I have also been made aware that an advert was carried in the Mail and Guardian newspaper during the month of February 2011, inviting interested young people with requisite credentials to apply for these study opportunities in China. I am told the response was good but due to financial constraints and also considering that this is the first batch going to China only a limited number of 15 (fifteen) had to be settled for. This indeed is a good start and the number will keep increasing as time goes on and as our state of preparedness both financially and administratively solidifies.
I have also been made aware that all these successful candidates for DAFF/China Scholarship are going to enroll for postgraduate studies at Masters and PHD levels. This is good because this will enrich South Africa’s research knowledge in the area of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It is common knowledge that without a strong research base, there cannot be innovation and without innovation we cannot talk about Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries development.
My special appeal to these fifteen successful candidates is to choose and model their research areas such that they are relevant to the challenges facing the country. Be aware of Government priorities such as food security, creation of decent jobs, rural development, massive infrastructure development programme, poverty alleviation, health and inclusive economic growth path. These are burning issues in our country at the moment and you therefore cannot afford to just ignore them. Your training in China must attempt to bring answers to these issues of national importance otherwise your acquired degrees will merely add to the database of irrelevant qualifications and will signal a waste of time and resources.
Furthermore, your period of study in China must create valuable networks for yourselves and for the country which can benefit your country now and in future. Such networks may open other doors for your sisters and brothers back home in areas such as short term industrial placements, exchange programmes, short training programmes, study tours, seminars and conferences. So, we are sending you there as ambassadors of South Africa, and not of DAFF.
I have been made aware that you have also been well-oriented about where you are going. It is important that you are psychologically prepared against threats such as culture and language shock, food and other practices unfamiliar to yourselves. It will be disappointing that after so much effort on the part of government any of you should decide to return to South Africa without having completed his/her studies due to these mentioned things. You will need to be made mentally, emotionally and psychologically ready for different unfamiliar experiences.
I hope that as you leave the department has also arranged/organised a good student support while in China. Invariably this will serve as mitigation at hand against any obstacle you will face. Student support here means for your personal problems as well as your academic challenges.
I now take this moment to congratulate each one of you on your unprecedented achievement. We know that you were not the only ones who applied, there were many but you have been selected based on merit. This successful selection and admission for studies in China must provide you with the first level of confidence you need to do well while in China. As you land in China, be determined and have self belief. Do not only have convictions that you will make it but have the courage of conviction necessary to carry you through. Where there is a will there is a way.
I thank you all.
