DAVAO CITY—Fifteen students are set to study in Naning, China under the Educational Exchange Program as part of the sisterhood agreement of Naning and this city.
The students will have a full scholarship in any school in Naning, and they are also free to choose their course. The Naning government will also cover the accommodation of the scholars.
Mayor Sara Duterte said the city government will also give the students allowances to help in their study in China.
On Sunday, the Mayor of Naning, Zhou Hongbo, visited Davao City to discuss the scholarship grants to the students and the businesses the two cities can venture into.
Duterte said she welcomes the development because of the sisterhood agreement of the two cities.
“It is a welcome project between Davao City and Naning City in China, hopefully we can finish the Memorandum of Agreement by August so we can present it to them by September, so by next school year we can send the scholars there,” the mayor said.
Duterte said the scholars will undergo training in writing and speaking Mandarin since it is the native tongue of the people living in Naning.
The mayor said Davao is also hoping that soon, the city can also sponsor scholarships for the students of Naning.
“As of now we don’t have a specific project for scholarship grant [for Naning students], but their offer of scholarship grant is the start. This is the start of education cooperation,” she said.
On June, Naning will also have a “Naning Day” here in Davao that will showcase their culture as part of the cultural cooperation of the two cities.
Naning invited Davao City to witness the 12th China International Expo on December 2018. Naning will name one of the gardens there as “Davao City Philippines” to showcase the city’s tourism industry.