Fifteen primary and secondary school head teachers from the UK arrived in Chongqing on Oct 23 to take part in China Bridge for UK schools – a week-long professional development initiative aimed at establishing Chinese school links and inspiring schools to learn Mandarin.

Organized by Hanban, China’s public institution for learning Chinese as a foreign language, and the British Council, the initiative is held annually in different areas of China. It allows head teachers, department heads of languages and representatives from local authorities or organizations to develop sustainable Chinese school links, expand their professional networks and encourage the teaching and learning of Mandarin and Chinese culture in UK schools.

On arrival in the Central China municipality, the delegates attended a welcome ceremony held at a local primary and secondary school, and learned about Chongqing’s basic education development and Chinese education system.

Fifteen primary and secondary school principals and educational officials from UK attend a welcoming ceremony at a local primary and secondary school in Liangjiang New Area on Oct 24. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

They then visited ten primary and secondary schools in Liangjiang New Area on Oct 25, where they attended classes with local students to experience the Chinese society and held meetings with local educators to discuss areas of potential cooperation.

Selina Wells, an educational official for public schools in Cardiff said that the visit provides a great chance for the both sides to deepen understanding and discuss teaching methods to compromise differences between the two countries’ education systems.

Hanban invites 100 primary and secondary school principals and educational officials from UK to visit China each year, as part of its efforts to implement the Memorandum of Understanding on Chinese-British Cooperation in Chinese Education.

Since its launch in 2007, a total of 450 principals and educational officials have been invited through the program to visit China. Chongqing has hosted the initiative five times, leading to 40 cooperation agreements being signed with local schools.

Edited by Jacob Hooson