Xiamen University Pioneers Overseas Education

Posted: 2014-09-21   Visits: 993

On July 3, 2014, the cornerstone dedication ceremony for Xiamen University Malaysia Campus was held in Selangor Sepang, Malaysia. Najib, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Chen Shun, the representative from the Chinese Ministry of Education and Zhu Chongshi, the President of XMU, were the guests of honor at the ceremony. Xiamen University is the first Chinese university to set up the international branch campus.

Guests of honour at the cornerstone dedication ceremony

President Zhu spoke at the ceremony

In his opening speech, President Zhu expressed his gratitude to the late Tan Kah Kee, an overseas Chinese educator who founded Xiamen University in 1921, for his loyalty to China and his life-long devotion to education. President Zhu thought it was important to establish the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus in the place where Tan Kah Kee grew and thrived as it would reflect Xiamen University’s expression of gratitude to Tan Kah Kee and the Malaysian people. President Zhu promised to develop Xiamen University Malaysia Campus into a prestigous university following Tan Kah Kee’s motto: “Pursue Excellence, Strive for Perfection”.

Najib spoke at the ceremony

Najib, the Prime Minster of Malaysia, also spoke at the ceremony. He stated that Xiamen University (XMU) was one of the most prestigious universities in China. Also, he felt that the Xiamen University Malaysia Campus would be attractive to students not only from Malaysia but from other Asian countries, as it would provide them with opportunities to receive a higher level of education and, also, it would promote the importance of higher education in Malaysia.

Xiamen University Malaysia Campus which covers an area of 610,000 square meters is located in the south-west of Kuala Lumpur. The architecture will be similar to that of XMU in Xiamen, China. The programme modules and degrees will be consistent with those at XMU. The main difference will be that all courses will be taught in English. The university is expected to open in the autumn of 2015 with an enrollment of about 500 students mainly from China, Malaysia and other Asian countries.

(Source: www.xinhuanet.com)