David Mabumba (fourth from left in the first row), minister of general education in Zambia, said he is impressed by progress at Xiamen University Malaysia. [Photo/xmu.edu.my]

David Mabumba, minister of general education in Zambia, said he was very impressed, after paying a visit to Xiamen University Malaysia (XMUM) on Aug 8. 

XMUM President Wang Ruifang briefed the minister about the school's development and showed him around the campus. 

The minister inspected its IT hub as well as several teaching and research laboratories at XMUM's China-ASEAN College of Marine Science. He also met with Zambian student representatives and inquired about their campus lives. 

He said that he was impressed by the rapid development of XMUM and his government would like to explore further collaboration with the university. 

In particular, he was moved by Tan Kah Kee, founder of Xiamen University -- and the establishment of XMUM as an act of bringing its educational resources back to the place where Tan has enjoyed an illustrious career. He said he is confident that XMUM was on its way to becoming an active part of the global education village. 

Xiamen University Malaysia contributed to this story.