Before their arrival in Beijing, they were just ordinary students in their home country of Turkmenistan.

But setting foot in China has brought these 16 Turkmen youths to the path to becoming professionals of the petroleum industry with expectations of making significant contributions to their country's development.

"In Turkmenistan, if you work in the petroleum industry, you will be paid as much as doctors and teachers," said 20-year-old Eziz.

The student and the 15 other students will train under a special five-year education program at the Beijing campus of China University of Petroleum (CUP). The program is funded by China National Petroleum Corp International Turkmenistan, a subsidiary of Chinese oil and gas giant CNPC, to educate Turkmenistan professionals for the sector.

Turkmenistan is rich in natural oil and gas. It is also in desperate need of petroleum professionals and technicians.

To help meet this demand and develop the sector, the program, or "5100 Project", is expected to host 100 Turkmenistan students in the next five years. CUP will provide living and education expenses for the students, as well as provide scholarships for suitable recipients.

"Last year, when China National Petroleum Corp International Turkmenistan announced plans to provide opportunities to Turkmenistan students who aspire to learn about the petroleum industry in China, more than 200 students registered for the program," said Li Guanghe, deputy director of the CUP international office.

After the group of 200 was tested with a written examination that included mathematics, physics and chemistry, the field was whittled down to 40 to enter the interview stage.

The interviewers included two teachers from CUP, one officer from the Turkmenistan Oil and Gas Agency, one from its Oil Ministry and one from the Turkmenistan Education Department.

As part of program requirements, the students whose parents are involved in the sector are excluded from the scheme.

After graduating from the program, the students are expected to work in areas such as oil and gas storage and transportation, gas and mineral resources exploration, machinery design and the chemical industry.

The pioneering batch of Turkmenistan students arrived in Beijing in the early hours of Nov 15, but had so far been busy adjusting to their new homes. Most speak their native language and only some of the students know English.

"China National Petroleum Corp International Turkmenistan will provide nearly $1 million for these 16 students to cover tuition fees, lodging and living costs," said Han Wenge, PR manager of the company in charge of the project. "For students from a less-developed country, the opportunity to study in China is extraordinarily valuable."

As they begin classes this semester two months later than expected, the students are taking the time to catch up with the courses they should have taken this semester. They have six class sessions every Saturday in addition to four hours of class within a week.

Among the 16 boys, the oldest is aged 22 and the youngest is 17. For their Muslim prayers, the students bought a big carpet after their arrival in China. They sometimes eat at the Muslim canteen in the university prepared for them. Sometimes they cook for themselves.

The university also provides them with a kitchen stocked with various utensils and a washhouse with several washing machines.

Many of the Turkmenistan students are becoming immersed in the Chinese language and culture, with "Mama" or "mother" in Chinese being their most familiar word so far.

"After graduation, all of us will go back to Turkmenistan and work for CNPC IT," Eziz said.

(China Daily 12/15/2009 page2)