The Administration of Fourah Bay College (FBC) has bid farewell to Prof. Jing Man, former Director of the Confucius Institute at FBC, after about four years of dedicated services to the Institute and the college.
In a short ceremony held in the Committee Room of the Deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC in recognition of her outstanding services during her tenure, the chairperson of the event, Dr. Jinnah S. Momoh, who is also the Assistant to the Deputy Vice Chancellor of FBC, expressed profound appreciation to Prof. Man for what he referred to as her selfless contributions toward improving the visibility of the Confucius Institute. He also assured Prof. Man’s successor, Prof. Chen Xuebin of the administration’s willingness to create an enabling working environment for him to succeed.
Similarly, while highlighting some of the landmark contributions of the Confucius Institute at FBC under the leadership of Prof. Man, a representative from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Borbor James pointed out that the academic and administrative services provided by Confucius Institute have positively increased the visibility and acceptability of the Chinese Language in Sierra Leone. He noted further that the Faculty was pleased to have had Prof Man as a collaborative, result-oriented staff who was always passionate about ensuring a good relationship with staff and students of the College.
Messages of support were also extended to Prof. Man by the Acting Deputy Registrar of FBC, Mr. Ibrahim Abu Conteh; the Head of the Language Studies Department at FBC, Dr. Abdulai Walon-Jalloh; the Local Director of the Confucius Institute at FBC, Rev Oliver L.T. Harding; and the representative from the FBC Primary School, Mrs. Sarah Davies.
Responding to the kind sentiments showered on her by the different speakers, Prof. Man in an emotional mood expressed sincere appreciation to the FBC Administration for recognising her services over the years. She also thanked the administration and students for what she referred to as their endless support and tolerance in creating an enabling environment that made the execution of her job an “awesome experience”.
Prof. Man noted that her journey as a director and lecturer over the years at FBC means the College and by extension, Sierra Leone would forever have a special place in her heart.
The award of certificates of appreciation to Prof Man by the FBC Administration, the Faculty of Arts, the Department of Language Studies, and the FBC Primary School, climaxed the event.
Meanwhile, some of Prof Jing Man’s developmental strides in Sierra Leone are said to include: Securing a piece of land at Kortright, FBC Campus for the construction of the China-Sierra Leone Cultural Centre; reopening of teaching sites at different locations in Sierra Leone; establishment of new teaching sites in schools and colleges, including but not limited to the Prince of Wales School, UNIMAK, and Njala University; and obtaining scholarships for staff and students to study in China.
The Confucius Institute was established in 2012 by the Gannan Normal University in China and the University of Sierra Leone to serve as a platform to foster the development of cultural exchanges between China and Sierra Leone. The Institute now serves as a gateway for graduates of the USL Confucius Institute to attract local and international job opportunities.