Chinese Students Will Have Access to TOEFL Practice Online
BEIJING, Nov. 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Educational Testing Service (ETS), creator of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL(R)), and New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: “EDU”), China’s largest private educational services provider, have reached an agreement making New Oriental the only language schools in China authorized by ETS to sell the TOEFL Practice Online (TPO) in their training classes.
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200711262223.jpg )
As part of the agreement, New Oriental has an exclusive right to provide TPO as a component of its language training or test preparation courses and may also sell the TPO to the general public through its bookstores. ETS will continue to sell the TPO on its website or through its subsidiaries or other third party resellers.
“This agreement marks the first instance of formal cooperation between two world leaders in education,” says Kurt Landgraf, President and CEO of ETS. “The TOEFL is the gateway to success for students wishing to study abroad and is accepted by more than 6,000 universities worldwide. A very effective way to prepare for the TOEFL is through the TOEFL Practice Online. Now, Chinese students will have access to it through New Oriental, one of the most popular and respected providers of foreign language training and preparation in the country.”
“We are excited to enter into this strategic relationship with ETS, which can address the increasing needs of Chinese students to improve their English communications and succeed in the global market,” said Michael Minhong Yu, New Oriental’s Chairman and CEO. “The agreement will complement our existing training resources and network, to further facilitate Chinese students to easily access, identify and benefit from TPO, the latest official tool from ETS for both English improvement and test preparation.”
About ETS
ETS is a nonprofit institution with the mission to advance quality and equity in education by providing fair and valid assessments, research and related services for all people worldwide. In serving individuals, educational institutions and government agencies around the world, ETS customizes solutions to meet the need for teacher professional development products and services, classroom and end-of-course assessments, and research-based teaching and learning tools. Founded in 1947, ETS today develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.ets.org .
About New Oriental
New Oriental is the largest provider of private educational services in China based on the number of program offerings, total student enrollments and geographic presence. New Oriental offers a wide range of educational programs, services and products consisting primarily of English and other foreign language training, test preparation courses for major admissions and assessment tests in the United States, the PRC and Commonwealth countries, primary and secondary school education, development and distribution of educational content, software and other technology, and online education. New Oriental’s currently trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “EDU.” For more information about New Oriental, please visit http://english.neworiental.org .
Safe Harbor Statement
This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about New Oriental’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Information regarding these risks and uncertainties is included in our registration statement on Form F-1 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New Oriental does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. All information provided in this press release is as of November 26, 2007, and New Oriental undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
ETS Contacts:
Tom Ewing
ETS
Tel: +1-609-683-2899
Email: tewing@ets.org
Julia Xiao
APCO Worldwide
Tel: +86-10-6505-5127 x213
Email: jxiao@apcoworldwide.com
New Oriental Contacts:
In China:
Ms. Sisi Zhao
New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc.
Tel: +86-10-6260-5566 x8203
Email: zhaosisi@staff.neworiental.org
Mr. Derek Mitchell
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (Beijing)
Tel: +86-10-8520-6284
Email: derek.mitchell@ogilvy.com
In the United States:
Mr. Jeremy Bridgman
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide (New York)
Tel: +1-212-880-5363
Email: jeremy.bridgman@ogilvypr.com