BEIJING, Nov. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The launch ceremony for Huiyan International College, co-established by the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University (FOE-BNU) and Bright Scholar Education Group (formerly Country Garden Education Group), was held on November 21, 2018. Huiyan International College will promote FOE-BNU's exchanges, cooperation and research in international education, establish an international educational system and set of standards with Chinese characteristics and build a team of leading international educational professionals.
Huiyan International College is on track to become a world-leading international college of education that will cultivate a team of international experts with the skill sets to develop, administer and teach combined Chinese and international programs. The cooperation is expected to fill the gap in the Chinese market for recruitment and training of teachers in the field of international education as, to date, majors or programs in international education have never been available at any of China's normal universities.
Launch ceremony for Huiyan International College
A number of distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including BNU Party Committee deputy secretary Sun Hongpei, BNU International Exchanges and Cooperation Office director Cheng Hongguang, BNU Education Foundation secretary Zhang Wulong, FOE-BNU director Zhu Xudong, Bright Scholar Education Holdings Limited chairman Yang Huiyan, as well as Bright Scholar Education Group CEO He Junli, vice president Cheng Jinsheng and Chen Shu.
"With the increasingly frequent exchanges in education among countries worldwide and the fiercer level of competition in the global educational market, institutes of higher learning are breaking down the boundaries between countries and facilitating the globalization of education," said Mr. Sun, the BNU Party Committee deputy secretary, in his welcome speech. "To respond to China's pressing demand for quality higher education against the backdrop of the globalization of higher education, Huiyan International College has been established as the first international college of education in China with the mission of cultivating a team of experts in international education. "
The college plans to make efforts in and contributions to the development of basic and research-based creative capabilities for applied talents in international education, in addition to playing a part in the production of research and development outcomes with international influence, exchanges and research in the domain of global education and training of professionals with international skills.
"Nowadays, with the evolution of technology, international cooperation is on the rise," stated Ms. Yang, the Bright Scholar Education Holdings chairman, during her speech at the event. "In particular, in light of society's increasing demand for quality education, particularly international education, and of the Chinese government's further deepening of its reform and opening-up policy and ongoing implementation of its One Belt, One Road initiative, the importance of professors and administrators with international skill sets is being heightened."
The famed and more than century-old BNU has been a pioneer in China's modern higher normal education. With the mission of promoting national prosperity through education, the university has made outstanding contributions to the country's economic growth and social development as well as to its educational reform by cultivating a large number of competent teachers and other educational professionals.
With its long-term commitment to promoting the development of the Chinese educational cause, Chinese residential property developer Country Garden Holdings established the first Country Garden school in Shunde, Guangdong province in 1994, becoming a Chinese pioneer in private education. Currently, Bright Scholar Education Group has evolved into one of the largest K-12 educational enterprises in China, with 84 schools, kindergartens and training centers in operation across the country as of October 2018, spanning preschool, primary and secondary education, scholastic training and services as well as educational technology.
"Huiyan International College is committed to establishing a Sino-foreign cooperation-based educational system, developing international programs with Chinese characteristics and building a high-quality team of international teachers and researchers," added Ms. Yang. "In addition, the college plans to promote cooperation in education among countries targeted by the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and cultivate a team of high-quality teachers and administrators with international skillsets, with the goal of becoming one of the world's leading international colleges of education."
Following the launch ceremony, BNU Party Committee secretary Li Jiayong announced several appointments: FOE-BNU director Zhu Xudong to assume the role as dean of Huiyan International College, Ms. Yang as honorary president of the college's International Management Committee, as well as He Junli and Cheng Jinsheng as members of the college's Global Development and Planning Committee.
At the same time, Huiyan International College FOE-BNU granted a license to Huiyan International College Bright Scholar Training Institute. Li Laixiang, president of Country Garden Silver Beach School, a Bright Scholar school, and Wu Zhihong, president of Guangdong Country Garden School, attended the launch ceremony.
The college will open its doors next year, initially enrolling 10 graduate students from all over the world
Bright Scholar inked a strategic cooperation framework agreement and a donation agreement with FOE-BNU on May 25, 2018. Huiyan International College - FOE-BNU, jointly established by the two organizations, will open its doors in 2019, with the plan to initially enroll 10 graduate students from around the world, who will take part in a two-year study program there.
In addition, the two organizations will form an international education and employment guidance platform. They had already initiated the first Bright Scholar & FOE-BNU employment fair in October 2018. In terms of international education teacher training, Bright Scholar plans to cooperate with BNU and University College London (UCL) to launch the first international school president training course.
Looking ahead, Bright Scholar will continue the close cooperation with FOE-BNU, starting with a series of internships (including short-term internships, courses focused on specific topics as well as mentoring programs), an international education teacher training project (the first training course is scheduled to begin next spring) and research into the exact mechanics of how an international educational program will be administrated, as well as developing a program for a variety of awards, including the outstanding educational contribution award.
The First Academic Forum on International Education focuses on development trends in international education
After the launch ceremony, the college's First Academic Forum on International Education - "Development trends in China's international education in the new era" - was officially held.
Teng Jun, associate professor and deputy director of the Institute of International and Comparative Education at BNU, presided over the forum. FOE-BNU director Zhu Xudong, Experimental High School Attached to Beijing Normal University president and deputy party secretary Li Xiaohui, Beijing New Oriental Academy president Gao Wei, Zhongguancun No.1 Primary School president Liu Chang, Bright Scholar Education Group regional director and Country Garden Silver Beach School president Li Laixiang, and Elite Education Group chairman Li Yanping, as well as executives from several entrepreneurial firms, delivered speeches on forum themes, focusing on development trends in China's international education and sharing new concepts concerning international education in general.
About Bright Scholar Education Group
Bright Scholar Education Group (formerly Country Garden Education Group) is a world-leading K12 education group and a strategic partner of Country Garden Group, one of the world's top 500 companies. The 24-year old group currently has more than 40,000 students, spanning preschool, primary and secondary education, scholastic training and services as well as educational technology, which is in wide deployment by the group.
On May 18, 2017, Bright Scholar was listed on the NYSE, and, as of today, has a market value exceeding 10 billion yuan (approx. US$1.5 billion). Based on the last quarterly report dated October 31, 2018, the group has 6 international schools, 15 bilingual schools, 45 kindergartens and 18 English training centers in 8 provinces across China, as well as partnerships with several top international institutions, including Beijing Normal University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, University College London and Cambridge Assessment International Education.
Gathering and training quality teachers at home and abroad, Bright Scholar offers a platform where students can benefit from a fully-rounded education and achieve excellent results. Ninety percent of 2018 graduates of the group's DP, A-level and AP programs have received letters of admission from the world's top 50 universities, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, the University of Chicago, University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University.
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