Chinese agronomy teacher recounts teaching journey in Tonga, set to return for more

"When we first arrived at Tonga College in 2020, the school lacked agricultural facilities and equipment. Students had to carry buckets to water the vegetables," recalled Ren Aizhi, a teacher from the College of Agronomy at Liaocheng University, in an interview with CGTN. "But things changed in 2021, when we successfully applied for the Ambassador Fund from the Chinese Embassy in Tonga. It helped the school build solar-powered water wells and water storage towers, purchase weeders, install drip irrigation systems, and promote water-saving and integrated water-fertilizer technologies."

The fund also helped install multimedia teaching equipment and provided practical farming teaching materials, enabling students to better understand agricultural technologies. Agricultural production has improved significantly, Ren added.

In March 2018, King Tupou VI of Tonga visited China. During his visit, the Ministry of Education and Training of Tonga and the Ministry of Education of China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on educational cooperation and exchange. Under this MoU, China agreed to send teachers to Tonga based on the country's needs.

In 2019, Liaocheng University dispatched two groups of seven teachers to Tonga to teach Chinese language, agricultural theory, and practical farming techniques. Ren was part of the second group from the College of Agronomy, sent at the request of the island nation to help improve local education.

"At first, some students lacked motivation to learn, so we explored different ways to make the classes more engaging," Ren said. "Gradually, more and more students became interested in what they called the 'Chinese teachers' vegetable garden.'"

"The vegetables we grow at the school’s experimental base are shared with faculty, the school cafeteria, and even the Ministry of Education. Sometimes, students take the produce home to share with their families – they all enjoy it very much," she added.

The team trains two groups of students each year, with about 50 students in each group. Over three years, nearly 300 students have received systematic agricultural training.

In 2021, the Palace Office of the Kingdom of Tonga expressed appreciation for the teachers' contributions, writing, "I convey His Majesty King Tupou VI's sincere appreciation and gratitude for your team's generous gift of corn from your project site, given as a gift to His Majesty. With best wishes to you and the Chinese Agriculture Expert Team."

Ren's story with Tonga is far from over. She told CGTN that she will return to Tonga this August, along with a team focused on research and demonstration of breeding technologies. They will conduct agricultural technology exchanges and offer short-term training to local teachers and students.

"We'll also provide a batch of agricultural machinery, including tractors, rotary plows, cassava planters, cassava harvesters, as well as steel pipes and other materials for building seedling sheds," she said. "I miss the students, the people, and the sea there."