BSU, Hainan Centre of Excellence signed agreement on Belarusian-Chinese project
On March 18th, during its official visit to China, the Belarusian State University (BSU) delegation headed by its Rector Andrei Korol signed an agreement on the implementation of the Belarusian-Chinese project Institute of Innovative Education under the auspices of BSU with the Hainan Centre of Excellence in International Education (Sanya), sb.by reports with reference to the BSU press service
PHOTO: BSU PRESS SERVICE
Rector Andrei Korol noted that the Institute of Innovative Education will not be limited to the Chinese vector, and it is expected to become a centre for attracting other universities, including foreign ones. It is planned to train citizens of countries close to China and countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
“This is a kind of ecosystem that involves not only the education of students and the training of specialists, but also the development of business initiatives within the framework of joint Belarusian-Chinese economic and industrial relations through the creation of high-tech products. There is a great interest in the project on the part of Chinese universities, as well as broad opportunities for the formation of international ties with the involvement of foreign partners. The potential for co-operation is very high,” Andrei Korol explained.
According to the press service, currently, 14 leading Chinese universities have indicated their intentions to jointly implement the project, which shows its uniqueness and significance for the development of educational co-operation between the two countries. The initiative itself has received great support at the level of the Sanya government. To implement the project, BSU has been provided with modern infrastructure with the possibility of implementing the functions of a digital university, including student and teacher identification, monitoring of schedules, attendance, place, and topic of classes. Within the framework of the project, a demonstration site of scientific and technical achievements of the BSU complex will be organised.
“This project also implies collective work to intensify co-operation in education, develop exports of educational services, and increase the number of Chinese citizens in the Belarusian State University. The parties' activities will develop in several areas: the development of educational and methodological documentation, preparation of Chinese citizens for admission to BSU, interviewing, career guidance activities, organising joint training in Russian as a foreign language and English using information and communication technologies (ICT). By the way, on the basis of the Hainan Centre, a presentation of the educational services of the Belarusian university was held for representatives of schools in Sanya. Negotiations were also held with the management of the department of education. Agreements were reached to support educational and scientific projects of BSU and expand the presence of the Belarusian university in Hainan Province,” the press service noted.
PHOTO: BSU PRESS SERVICE
On the first day of the visit to China, a memorandum of international co-operation was signed between BSU and Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City Holding Group Co., Ltd. This agreement was one of the first in the implementation of the project Institute of Innovative Education under the auspices of BSU, and involves scientific and scientific-technical co-operation between the parties in modern areas, including space. Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City is an innovative platform for conducting scientific research. The best universities in China have their own structures in this city, and BSU became the first Belarusian university to establish official co-operation.
The visit of the BSU delegation to China will continue with a series of meetings with colleagues from the China University of Political Science and Law and Beijing International Studies University (BISU). The results of the negotiations will include the definition of new vectors of co-operation, as well as the signing of a number of documents to strengthen and expand partnership relations.
According to the BSU press service, now, China is one of the strategic partners for BSU, and scientific, expert and cultural contacts are actively developing. In total, BSU has 99 agreements with 63 Chinese institutions. This is more than 16.5 per cent of the total number of all international treaties. At the same time, co-operation with China has a positive dynamics. At the end of October 2023, the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation Research Centre was opened on the basis of the Faculty of International Relations, and the departments of Oriental Studies and Integrated Study of China's Development were established there for the first time in Belarus.
“The participation of BSU as one of the founders of the new University Network of Research Co-operation (iUNRC, China) became important for strengthening Belarusian-Chinese relations. Its opening took place in early November 2023 within the framework of the 1st Belt and Road Conference on Science and Technology Exchange. In addition, BSU is very popular among Chinese citizens. Today, out of more than 5,000 foreign students, the largest share is made up of students from China – 3.5 thousand,” the BSU press service added.
