The first workshop for Sino-Finnish Education Cooperation Professionals was held from 26th August until 31st August, 2016, in Beijing Normal University under a beautiful and brisk autumn sky. After the workshop, participants formed groups in which they will work on new Sino-Finnish collaboration projects. Having completed this task, they will be granted 5 ECTS and a diploma on Sino-Finnish education cooperation competency accredited by Sino-Finnish Learning Garden. The main focus of the workshop is to strengthen the participants’ competency and understanding of Sino-Finnish education cooperation, further the education cooperation between China and Finland and develop new collaboration programs.
The workshop is an important step forward in education cooperation and quality assurance under the framework of Sino-Finnish Learning Garden, a memorandum signed by Chinese Ministry of Education and Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. It is also the first program which has been implemented under the Sino-Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute that was founded in May 2016. The program is financed by Centre for International Mobility CIMO in Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The main organizers of the workshop include the University of Tampere, Beijing Normal University and NIES – National Institute of Education Science. Other partners include Tampere University of Applied Sciences, the City of Tampere, NAEA – National Academy of Education Administration, Peking University and Beijing University of Technology. During the CIMO funding period, the second workshop for Sino-Finnish Education Cooperation Professionals will be organized in University of Tampere in spring 2017.
There were 33 participants in total from 19 different institutions or organizations including administrators and professionals on higher education, vocational education and primary education both from Finland and China. The Vice President of Beijing Normal University Zhou Zuoyu, Counsellor of Education and Science in the Embassy of Finland in Beijing Mika Tirronen, and the Secretary of Beijing Normal University Faculty of Education Li Jiayong gave a speech in the Opening Ceremony of the workshop.
During the workshop, Finnish and Chinese education professionals and professionals on Sino-Finnish education cooperation discussed issues on education systems and cultures from a comparative perspective, recognized problems in Sino-Finnish education cooperation and suggested possible solutions, and brought forward their opinions on the future of Sino-Finnish education cooperation. Common conclusions included e.g. that a quality assurance system must be set up in Sino-Finnish education cooperation, education export and other commercial activities must be based on academic cooperation and mutual benefit, and that the influence and relevance of the Sino-Finnish Learning Garden framework as signed by Ministries of both countries must be developed further.
All the participants expressed their sincere appreciation for the chance to participate in the workshop and deepen their understanding of Sino-Finnish education cooperation. Especially the Chinese participants had the first-hand chance to experience the pragmatic and unique style of Finnish education through this workshop.
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