From May 27 to 31, at the invitation of Birmingham City University and the University of Hertfordshire, Ma Xusheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of the college, led a group of five people from the School of Basic Education and the School of Pre-school Education to the UK to carry out exchanges and cooperation.
Deepening Collaboration, Renewal with Birmingham City University
The delegation first arrived at Birmingham City University from May 28th to 29th and was warmly received by the university. At the welcome ceremony of Birmingham City University, Prof. Louise Toner, Deputy Minister of Health, Education and Life Sciences, delivered a warm speech on behalf of the university. She said that the cooperation between the two sides is a good story of education, which has become an excellent sample of international cooperation of Birmingham City University, and looked forward to in-depth cooperation in more fields in the future. Ma Xusheng introduced to the British side of the school's current development. In particular, he pointed out the distinctive features of GTCFLA, and “foreign languages”, “arts”, “early childhood”, “baking” and “senior care” are the five pivot points of the school's development, which have made great contributions to the economic development of Guangdong, and have great potentials. He hoped that the visit would deepen the understanding between the two sides and lay a solid foundation for further deeper and wider cooperation.
Picture: Group photo of the two sides
At the meeting, Ma Xusheng signed the third memorandum of cooperation with Birmingham City University on behalf of GTCFLA. The two sides discussed the exchange of teachers and students, research cooperation and teacher training between the two universities, and reached a consensus on further cooperation. The delegation also went to visit the training rooms of the School of Life Sciences, the School of Education and Social Work and the School of Music.
Picture: The two parties signed the third cooperation memorandum
During the visit, Zhuang, the first graduate of the cooperative program, shared with the delegation her journey and fruitful growth from GTCFLA to Birmingham City University and then to the University of Reading, and Ma XuSheng encouraged Zhuang to cherish the opportunity to study abroad, and complete her studies as soon as possible, so as to contribute to the country's educational endeavors.
Birmingham City University has carried out Sino-foreign cooperative education in preschool education with our college since 2019, and has so far enrolled five classes of students, the program has been operating well, and the quality of cultivation has been highly recognized by both sides, and this visit has brought the cooperation between the two colleges to a higher level.
Pioneering cooperation and a new blueprint with the University of Hertfordshire
On May 30th, the delegation visited the University of Hertfordshire and received a warm welcome from the university and had an in-depth exchange. James Root and Ann Li from the International Exchange Office of the university introduced the basic situation of the University of Hertfordshire to the delegation in detail. The University of Hertfordshire is a modern comprehensive university with more than 32,000 students, including more than 10,000 international students from more than 100 countries. The University of Hertfordshire is ranked 11th in the United Kingdom for its education program, and was awarded the King's Prize this year, which is the only university in the whole of the United Kingdom to be awarded with the prize.
Picture: Group photo of the two sides
Ma Xusheng introduced the school operation and characteristics of GTCFLA, and he especially emphasized the profound teacher education heritage of GTCFLA. He said that the college is expanding international cooperation and exchanges at a deeper level, aiming to provide students with opportunities for development, and at the same time hoping to further enhance the teaching level and international influence of the college through international education exchanges and cooperation.
Picture: Visiting the training room of the University of Hertfordshire
At the meeting, the two sides proposed to jointly hold a Chinese-Foreign Cooperation Program of "Primary English Education Major", which is to adopt the mode of master's degree preparatory education, introduce the teaching system and teachers of the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, and incorporate the enrollment into the national plan for enrollment, and implement the management of full-time teaching. Afterwards, the delegation visited the campus, the School of Arts, the School of Education, training rooms, student dormitories and so on.
School-enterprise cooperation to promote cultural exchanges between Chinese and British youths
On the afternoon of 30th, the delegation went to the Sino-British Youth Cultural and Educational Exchange Association and had an in-depth and meaningful exchange with the representatives of the Association. Both sides had extensive and in-depth discussions on a series of international exchange programs, including Oxford University Speech Contest Summer Camp, British students' study in China, study abroad services in famous universities, baker's skills training, cultural and culinary fields, and other aspects of exchange and interaction. Both sides agreed that these programs, which aim to further promote cultural exchange and educational cooperation between Chinese and British youths, will deepen mutual understanding and friendship, and create a new chapter of educational cooperation through school-enterprise cooperation.
Picture: Two sides meeting
Bread Going Global, Sino-British friendship sails on the winds of the sea
Picture: Bread giving
“The bread was so delicious! We all miss this special gift, thank you!” On this trip, the visiting delegation carried 15 pieces of bread made by the School of Catering and Tourism across the ocean to present this gift full of sincerity to our partners, which won high praise and warm response. The foreign guests said that the bread was one of the most original gifts they had ever received. After tasting the bread, they marveled at its delicate texture, softness and sweetness, and also praised the richness of the ingredients and the exquisite craftsmanship of natural fermentation contained in it. They believed that this kind of bread product, which emphasizes on nutrition and health, has strong competitiveness in the international market, and looked forward to more opportunities to taste this delicious delicacy again in the future.
Picture: Bread giving
At the same time, the delegation went deep into the local bakery in the UK to conduct on-site investigation and research, upholding the spirit of “carrying out bread research to the end”, actively responding to the national “One Belt, One Road” initiative, and committing itself to promoting vocational education out of the country and connecting with the world.
The “Bread Going Global” is not only a simple food exchange activity, but also a profound process of cultural collision and integration between China and Britain. Through the carrier of bread, the people of the two countries were able to more intuitively feel each other's cultural characteristics and lifestyles, further deepening mutual understanding and friendship.
Full of harvests, Sino-British educational cooperation reaches a new level
During this trip to the UK, our college not only deepened the cooperative relationship with Birmingham City University and University of Hertfordshire, but also expanded the field and depth of cooperation. Through in-depth exchanges with British universities and Chinese enterprises, we further understood the international advanced education concepts and practical experience, which injected a new impetus to improve the quality and level of basic education and pre-school education of the college.
Looking into the future, GTCFLA will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchange with British universities and promote mutual benefit and win-win situation between the two sides in the field of education. At the same time, it will also actively draw on international advanced experience to continuously improve its own schooling level and international influence, and make greater contributions to cultivating more talents with international vision and innovative spirit.
