"China is a key proponent of Education for All and Education Financing, bringing (quality) education (resources) to ASEAN countries." On August 23rd, during the 2022 China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week, Shahbaz Khan, the director of the UNESCO Beijing Office, highly appreciated China's contribution to the education development of ASEAN countries.

 

This year is the first time Shahbaz Khan attended the education cooperation week. He thought that the event is a win-win platform for not only China and ASEAN countries, but also the education development worldwide.

 

"This is a platform for mutual learning and understanding." Shahbaz Khan said that the China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week is not only a platform for universities in China to be more international, but also of great benefit to many students from developing countries in Asia-Pacific regions from the scholarships China has offered, and thus helps them become the intercultural "ambassadors" of their countries and regions.

 

Invited by Wuhan University, Shahbaz Khan first came to China in 1999 when he was engaged in scientific research back in Australia. Shahbaz Khan stated that China has made tremendous achievements in education over the past 20 years, especially in education for all, children education and nine-year compulsory education. He said, "…Very importantly, the literacy rate which was a struggle since 1949, China has achieved all those targets."

 

Whether as a researcher or a UNESCO representative in China, Shahbaz Khan has always been focusing on education. Regarding the development of education, he believed that universal literacy and numeracy, to which both China and ASEAN countries have devoted a lot, is a prerequisite for quality education.

 

Shahbaz Khan was highly impressed by vocational education in Guizhou, "Such a sizeable and well-equipped Qingzhen Vocational Education Town in Guizhou has generated many wonderful ideas."

 

Shahbaz Khan suggested that vocational education infrastructure is important, but the same attention should be given to set education standards in line with European countries such as Germany, or Asia-Pacific countries, so as to boost the exchange of vocational education talents between China and other countries.

 

"UNESCO plans to cooperate with Guizhou in vocational education curricula and skills training." Shahbaz Khan thought Guizhou is a "young" province and a place full of youthful energy, which shall provide more opportunities for vocational education development.

Source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8UuIhaiQCxPdiiwoMRL7Cg