About 40 principals, management staff responsible for international exchange in international schools and universities across China joined a forum themed ‘ How international collaboration can assist school development’ jointly organized by HOPE and Tsinghua University IPCSL Class from 16th -19th May in Jingdezhen, capital of china, and Wuyuan, a beautiful village town famous for its rich biodiversity, south east China’s Jiangxi Province.

International Professional Certificate for School Leaders (IPCSL) class, is jointly run by Tsinghua University and UCL for school leaders, particularly those from international schools, to improve their leadership skills. In order to promote the international collaboration between Chinese and overseas school and help the Chinese principals to understand the significance of international collaboration, HOPE International Education and IPCSL jointly organized the forum and the trip.

HOPE team & Tsinghua University IPCSL class visiting Imperial Kiln Museum in Jingdezhen

HOPE team & Tsinghua University IPCSL class visiting Linnaeus Laboratory in Wuyuan

and listening to the professional guidance on biodiversity

The forum invited multiple experts in international education and foreign affairs to give keynote speeches and provide advice to the principals how school can benefit from international collaboration.

Li Weiping, Secretary General of SEAIE, Shanghai Education Association for International Exchange, emphasized a keyword: "global competence", which refers to the ability to effectively learn, work, and interact with people in a multicultural environment. He stated that while cultivating students' learning abilities, principals should also focus on enhancing their global competence. At the same time, he also analyzed the possible impact of sino-US and sino-Europe relations, and the current situation on international education.

Mr. Li Weiping, Secretary General of SEAIE and Daniel Zheng, Director of HOPE

present a keynote speech on international collaboration.

Daniel Zheng, Director of HOPE International Education, analyzed the current problems existing in international cooperation at university and school level in China. He emphasized that as educators, we cannot put emphasis on results only. Domestic schools need to understand the needs of foreign schools in order to pursue long-term cooperation. Meanwhile, it is necessary to broaden the international perspective of teachers responsible for international cooperation. This can be realized by participating in international conferences and overseas visits. In addition, to form a professional team that understands policies, business, foreign languages, foreign affairs, and international education would be essential.

Professor Zhou address the forum as a former Official of UNESCO

Dr. Sun exchanged his thoughts as

a father of two Cambridge graduates

Professor Zhou Xiaoxia, former director of the International Centre for School Networks at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, elaborated on what true international cooperation is and the importance of cultivating international talents for international cooperation through her years of experience working in international organizations and Confucius Institutes overseas.

Dr. Sun Yinbiao, Academic Vice Principal of Ningbo Foreign Language School shared with everyone his rich experience working in schools in China and the UK. As a father of two Cambridge University graduates, Dr. Sun introduced that prestigious UK universities emphasized on student’s independence and individuality. He hopes that our school will not only focus on academic performance, but also on student’s holistic development.

Darren Chen, Director of the Business Development Department at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, introduced university as well as how it can become an epitome of cooperation between China and the UK.

Dr. Liu Zhilong from Linnaeus Laboratory, as the host, welcomed everyone to visit the laboratory in Wuyuan. He mentioned his intention of founding Linnaeus Laboratory, which was to develop and strengthen the "nature education" that China lacks. Wuyuan is a place with rich biodiversity. He hopes that the nature education laboratory he founded can also provide an excellent learning experiences for students.

Fierce competition among auction buyers

Winners with the principal of Clover

What really pushed the forum to its climax was the charity auction sale. Ten pieces of paintings painted by autistic children from Shanghai Clover Autism Autism Children Centre and Naniing Nan Fang Bei Bei Children's Rehabilitation Centre were bought by the guests. From this charity auction, HOPE has raised nearly 10000 RMB, which will be used to support the improvement of facilities and living conditions for autism children in the two schools. HOPE International Education has been helping this special group of children for decades.

Principal Li Wenping summarising on the whole forum

At the end of the forum, Li Wenping, the principal of Qinglanshan School and the International Department of Tsinghua Affiliated Middle School, summarized the forum. She was grateful that HOPE has organized this rewarding and exciting trip to Jingdezhen and Wuyuan. She emphasized that telling the story of China and speaking out for China were also the mission for international education. In order to achieve this, we must teach our students to become innovative problem solvers. In addition, HOPE’s caring for autism children was also very touching.

Performance “china” in Jingdezhen

Night in Wuyuan with Fish lantern

HOPE team and guests have also watched live landscape performance ‘china’, telling the story of china in each dynasty in Chinese history. The participants also went to Wuyuan to appreciate the beauty of nature as well as its rich biodiversity. This trip to Jingdezhen and Wuyuan has been a great success. One of the guest said ‘it is lovely to see such a cohesive team as HOPE! I am looking forward to joining HOPE next event!’