Hailiang Education : Monthly Update of Hailiang Education Group_202012 (EN Version)

Monthly Update of Hailiang Education Group

December 2020

Contents ◆Monthly Thought from Management

• Yi Zhou, Dean of Hailiang Education International Students Institute: As the globalization is Hindered, is there still value in International Education？

◆Business Updates

• Hailiang Education and Beijing Normal University Reached a Strategic Partnership
• Hailiang Education and Hangzhou Normal University Further Deepen Strategic Cooperation
• Hailiang Education Jointly Initiated a National Strategic Cooperation in Earth Science Education with the China Seismological Society and Peking University
• Hailiang Education Management Group Enter Pingyin County
• Hailiang Education was Invited to Share Experience in the "Yangtze River Delta" University Logistics Information Forum
• Hailiang Xianju Academy was Rated as the First Batch of Educational Labor Practice Bases for Primary and Middle School Students
• The Leaders of Seni District Visited Tianma Aid Tibet Class
• Why Did Hailiang Education Frequently Appear on CCTV
• ......

Monthly Thought from Management

Yi Zhou

• Dean of Hailiang Education International Students Institute
• Has taught in many well- known international education groups and has many years of experience in international school curriculum management
• Graduated from Durham University in the United Kingdom with a major in Education Evaluation, familiar with the education curriculum system and advancement needs of mainstream countries, and is committed to providing suitable curriculum settings and reasonable advancement planning for different students.

As the Globalization is Hindered, Is There Still Value in

International Education？

If one of the key words of the year 2020 is "fragmentation", then in 2021, we see the possibility of integration and reshaping. On the evening of December 30, the leaders of China and the EU jointly announced the completion of the China-EU investment agreement negotiations as scheduled. This is like a shot in the arm, which injecting new impetus into the process of globalization. Although globalization has been blocked in recent years, the United States' "retreat" and the UK's Brexit are all examples, the general trend of globalization will not stop. Eventually, mankind will find solutions to many problems we have today, which require people from all countries to work together to solve.

The relationship between countries can be divided into three levels. The highest level is political and diplomatic relations, followed by economic and trade relations, and the third level is culture exchanges. On the first two levels, there are constant frictions between countries. Therefore, the third level, the exchange of education and culture, is becoming more and more important in the current era. If there is no communications between people, and there is no exchange in education and cultures, the world will be gradually divided, and eventually, lead to hostility and conflict. The communication and understanding between people is an indispensable cornerstone of world development. We can fully promote the development of economy, trade, politics and diplomacy through the third level of exchanges. It is precisely because of the importance of cultural exchanges that the trend of studying abroad will not change much in the long run. Hailiang Education's "One Belt One Road" international talent strategy aims to achieve people-to-people bonds through education, and spread hope through education.

Therefore, it is recommended that parents support their children to study abroad for a period of time if they can afford it. Some parents consider that they have invested a lot of money to let their children study abroad, and their children may not be able to find high-return jobs in the future to cover what they've spent. Indeed, from the perspective of the ratio of money input to output, the so-called premium for studying abroad no longer exists. But studying abroad can actually repay children in other ways:

1

Monthly Thought from Management

• Cultivate a sense of diversity -- provide children with an opportunity to integrate into multiple cultures, help them better understand cultural differences, and discover what human beings have in common on the basis of tolerance of different cultural differences. This is impossible for children being exposed to a single cultural background;
• Broaden worldview -- help children compare different cultures and systems in order to construct their own worldview more rationally, understand themselves more comprehensively, and better understand their own values;
• Enhance global competence -- the knowledge and understanding of global issues, that is, the ability of cross- cultural communication and cooperation, can help children cope with and solve various complex problems in the future. This process will enrich children's thoughts and diversify the perspectives they have when looking at problems. This is a great help for a child who is willing to integrate into the world's diverse cultures, in terms of his or her life trajectory or professional development.

In this process, children can realize that cultural differences exist objectively. What we have to do is to respect and understand, but not directly deny this existence. We must let go of our anxiety and make correct judgments on the future.

The anti-pandemic actions in China and foreign countries and social phenomena derived from the pandemic, have brought many reflections to the international education industry. Can the next generation we cultivate think independently about the advantages and disadvantages of different systems? Can they make an objective distinction between the factual viewpoint and the extreme emotions reported by the media? It is undeniable that the world has been using Western frameworks of thought and behavior patterns for nearly a hundred years. For China, whose development model is different from that of the West, it is not easy to be understood and recognized by others even though it has made great achievements. Fortunately, in the next generation, the number of Chinese people who can read and express in English will be much greater than that of foreigners who can read and express in Chinese. The younger generation in China has the responsibility to make good use of their cross-cultural advantages, so that China's voices will no longer be missing from the mainstream platforms in the world. They should rely on the advantages of bilingual and multiculturalism to transcend the "information cocoon room", overcome the misunderstandings caused by arrogant self-esteem or ignorance of cultural differences between China and the West, and truly shoulder the responsibility of intercultural communications, and seek a better environment and stage for China to play a role in global development. For this goal, we, as international educators, and the children must strive for it.

2