Necessity of Restructuring the China-Africa Education Cooperation to Leverage the Fastest-Growing Economic Ties

Abstract

Study Focus: This article put forward the necessity of rebalancing the China-Africa Fastest-Growing Economic Ties with a Leveraged Education Cooperation as well as the necessity of restructuring the actual patterns of China-Africa Education Cooperation.

Methodology: The content of this paper relies on written documents (including books, scientific journals, articles, and official reports) from primary and secondary sources most of which are available online as well as on the author’s teaching experience in Chinese and African Universities.

Findings:

1) “Business” but not "Education” remains the top driver of the China-Africa cooperation. Therefore, it is noteworthy questioning the share of fundamental areas of cooperation such as Education and Culture that should pioneer and propel sustainable partnerships.

2) African countries seem disadvantaged in the actual patterns of China-Africa Education Cooperation. There is a need to restructure the cooperation on education and improve the overall image of China and Africa Cooperation.

3) The Chinese Study of Africa and the African Study of China are not contemporary stories, but a continuous course of very old history that can be traced back before the Christian era and should be further promoted in today’s modern academia.

4) From a theoretical basis to a scientific methodology, from institutionalized frameworks to government policies, an epistemic assessment of China by the African academic circles is of urgent need.  The African scholarship should have its de-westernized appraisal of China and vice-versa.

5) Up to now, there is no genuine African Sinology in African academic curriculums. A sort of Africa-centered study of China that fulfills traditional discipline criteria must be put in place in today's African Academia.

Conclusion & Suggestions:

In brief, there is a real necessity of rebalancing the China-Africa fastest-growing economic ties with leveraged education cooperation and reforms. It is for Chinese and African scholars a sole duty to brainstorm new patterns of cooperation, and so paves new ways for an in-depth study and understanding of China and Africa. Moreover, a genuine African Sinology that uses a socio-scientific methodology to critically examine and investigate China, understands the Chinese spirit by all means and draw the benefits for the interests of African people must take place in African education curriculums. For that purpose, the present article proposes the terminology “Afrisinology” as a new paradigm to approach the African Study of China in African academia.

Keywords: African Studies, Sinology, “Afrisinology”, China-Africa Education Cooperation.

DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/62-03

Publication date:March 31^st 2020