Asia covers one-third ofthe world’s land mass and is home to two-thirds of the world’s population,harboring47 countries.

Connected by the same mountains and rivers andbonded byclose people-to-people and cultural ties, Asia countries share similar historical circumstances, pursue the same dream, and play a significant role in global development.

As pointed out by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 that: “when Asia fares well, the whole world benefits. By developing and strengthening Asia, demonstrating Asia’s resilience, wisdom and strength, we will make Asia an anchor for world peace, a powerhouse for global growth, and a new pacesetter for international cooperation.”

Economic and technical strength isa vital force in driving the development of Asia and the whole world. In contrast, the important role of international exchanges and education in facilitating cultural civilization is equally important.

(Image source: Internet)

To promote in-depth exchanges of outstanding students and deepen pragmatic cooperationamong universities in Asia, theMinistry of Educationof China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea jointly organized the“CAMPUS Asia” Program in 2012.

So far, a total of 39 programs from 77 universities (including 2 Chinese, Normal Universities) in the three countries wereselected to be a part of theProgram.

In November 2021, the “Development Program for Professionals in Educational Policy Management Contributing to Solving Global-Scale Issues” was selectedas a stage 3 program of CAMPUS Asia. This program, created jointly by the University of Tsukuba (Japan), Korea National University of Education (ROK), Khon Kaen University (Thailand), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia(Malaysia), Bandung Institute of Technology (Indonesia) andEast China Normal University, has included partnering universities from ASEAN countries.

The program is the firstof its kindon educational policy among all“CAMPUS Asia” programs. It isalso the firstto urge solving global-scale education issues explicitly.

By carrying out this program, representatives from the six partiesexpect to:

· Build a rational platform that extends across national borders,shares acommon visionof the future society, andexplores the underlying causes of problems;

· Cultivate talents with comprehensive abilities through interdisciplinary and collaborative inquiry learning insearch of answers to an existingproblem;

· Jointly promote the understandingofandfind asolutionfor common problems of the international community as well asthosewith local and regional characteristics under cooperation among universities of the six countries;

· Work together to promote the development of Asian civilization through educational exchanges and mutual learning within the region and further contributeAsia’s strength and wisdom to global development.

The program spans across three professional disciplines: pedagogy, innovative materials, and environmental science. East China Normal University gives full play to the advantage of our double first-rate disciplines,integratesresearchachievements in professional fields with educational policies, and formulates from an interdisciplinary perspective and implements the goal of theprogram in light of local conditions, that is, to cultivate professionals in education policy managementwho have a broad vision and can“contribute to solving global-scale issues.”

Teachers from the Faculty of Educationengaged in the design and construction of core courses of this program. They offered students from the six countriesthe compulsory core course“Social Problems and Education Policy” for the first phaseand“Education Policy and School Reform in China” for the second phase, both of which were taughtin English. This ensures smooth sailing for the program to roll out.

These courses systemically reflect the new progress of China’s educational reform, tell“China stories” from the perspective of the evolvement of schools in the academic discourse, andmakeChinese educational discourses widely known to other countries.

The courses include the following:

· Educational policy on school governance in the global context: An issue of social participation (Pen Xinqiang)

· Global policies on teacher recruiting, retention, and accountability in providing an equal and quality education (Wang Lijia)

· Cross-national education policy transfer, global policy networking, and decolonial reconfigurations (You Yun)

· Education policy and school reform in China (You Yun, Li Lin, and Gao Xingyuan)

On July 26, the kick-off symposium of the“CAMPUS Asia+” Programwas successfully held online. Teachers,staff, and students from six universities in China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia were present at the symposium.

The symposium was chaired byTeruyuki Fujita, Director of the Master’s Programat theSchool of Education of the University of Tsukuba.Attendees from our school included Ms. Tu Xiaoming, Director of the Japanese Project of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office, Professor Chen Shuangye, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Chen Shaoqiang from State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, Professor Che Yue from School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Professor Peng Xinqiang, Associate Professors Li Lin, You Yun and Gao Xingyuan from the Faculty of Education, and Qiu Yue, Director of the International Affairs Division.

Professor Mitsuyasu Kato, Vice President and Executive Director of theSchoolof Education, University of Tsukuba, delivered an opening speech at the symposium. He indicated that“CAMPUS Asia+” offered an important platform for Asian universities to practice international cooperation and for students to expand international perspectives. He believed that, by pooling resources from the six universities, theprogram would play an important role in solving international education problems,formulating educational policies, and cultivating educational talents.

To enhance mutual understanding among teachers and students of the six universities, participants of the symposium introduced themselves. They briefly introduced the school’s history and disciplinestructure, among otherbasic information.

Studentspresent online alsoexpressed their expectations for the program. They got to know each other after the introduction.

Professor Chen Shuangye,therepresentative of our school,pointed outthat the education of our school was characterized by “openness, inclusiveness, and innovation.” We would relentlessly tell China’s stories and make China’s voice heard by the world. The Faculty of Education has been placing a high value on international cooperation and exchanges and innovated a series of branding activities, including“International Exchange Week” and“Global Education Dean’s Forum,” in line with the“CAMPUS Asia+” program. By doing so, we aimed to broaden the global visionof students and faculty andcontribute to solving global educational problems through various international exchange programs.

At the end of the symposium, Professor Chen Shaoqiang from our school and ProfessorSohn JungjoofromtheKorea National University of Education delivered closing speeches. They both expressed gratitude to professors andfaculty from the six universities for their diligent work and wished the program a success andharvests for students.

Images and Text: International Affairs Division