The Cabo Verdean regulator of higher education, ARES, has given the University of Cabo Verde the authority to award bachelor’s degrees in Chinese language, literature and culture, making the university the first in the country with permission to confer such degrees, Lusa says.

The Portuguese news agency reported on Tuesday that ARES had announced the day before that the University of Cabo Verde Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts would begin teaching in the current academic year the first five-year programme leading to a bachelor’s degree in Chinese studies, comprising 6,620 hours of classes.

The report says the programme will be taught on the new campus in Praia built for the university with 5.6 billion escudos (about US$58.9 million) of Chinese money, the biggest Chinese-funded project in Cabo Verde.

When the campus was turned over to the university in July, Chinese Ambassador to Cabo Verde Du Xiaocong said the campus would eventually have a branch of the Confucius Institute, Lusa says.