Well, old china, we’re off to China: Lifelong pals win scholarships to study in Far East
Friends swap Easterhouse for Tianjin after mastering Mandarin
Two schoolgirls are swapping the east end of Glasgow for the Far East after winning scholarships to study at university in China.
Jodi Carr and Maya Hemphill, who have been friends since they were seven, have each secured £5,000 grants to learn in Tianjin.
The girls, pupils at Lochend High School in Easterhouse, landed the coveted places after passing a Mandarin test.
The teenagers beat off stiff competition from almost 500 others to win the scholarships and will study at the Tianjin Foreign Studies University.
Only 22 scholarships were awarded to the 500 Scots pupils who applied through a controversial Scottish Government link with China, the
Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools.
The partnership has attracted criticism due to China’s poor record on human rights and warnings from security experts that the Beijing government is attempting to secure footholds in the
West by funding research and forging academic links.
The teenagers first met at primary school in the east end 11 years ago.
Jodi, 18, is deferring the chance to study psychology at Strathclyde University, while Maya has put on hold plans to learn at the uni’s business school.
Jodi said: “It’s the chance of a lifetime to study in China. It’s something no one in my family has ever had the chance to do.
“Hopefully we will be setting a trend for others in our area to follow.”
Maya says they hope to keep in touch with their families through the Chinese messaging service Wechat.
“We will keep them updated constantly on our 10-month stay,” said Maya.
“With any luck we will be able to Skype and chat to them in person,” said Jodi.
The teenagers learned Mandarin during a placement at a high school in the Dutch city of Huissen when they were 15, followed by classes at school and university. “The Mandarin exam wasn’t easy. Dictionaries were banned and we were expected to be fluent,” Jodi added.
Jodi has already studied German and French at Lochend High. The housing scheme where the girls live faces ongoing challenges with unemployment, poverty and life expectancy among the worst in western Europe, but teaching staff are working hard to improve their pupils’ life chances. “Our school is near the bottom of the exam league table but that’s changing fast,” said Maya, 18.
“Don’t write us off! We are both thrilled to win the scholarships.”
The girls need to raise £5,000 to help cover the cost of the trip and have taken summer jobs, held home baking sales and packed bags at supermarkets as they strive to reach their total.
“Like many families, mine gets by through living on a tight budget so it’s been hard work raising the money,” said Jodi.
The pals leave for China in September.
“We are the first pupils to go from Lochend so, hopefully, others will be inspired to do the same,” Maya added.
Fhiona Fisher, director of Strathclyde University’s Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Jodi and Maya were successful in what was an extremely competitive interview process against fierce competition from young people from all over the country.
“Both these young women are a credit to their families, school and the Easterhouse community.”
The language scheme is run through a partnership involving the Scottish Government and Tianjin Municipal Education Commission.
Dictionaries were banned but we had to be fluent