Jiangsu International Forum for School Principals

Between November 19-20, the Australian session of the 19th Jiangsu International Forum for School Principals was held in Melbourne.

As one of the sub-sessions of the forum, it focused on the theme of "Strategies and Methods for Early Cultivation of Top Innovative Talents and Interests in STEM". Nearly 100 representatives gathered, including officials from Victoria’s education administration, 36 Australian school principals, and 25 Jiangsu school principals, to discuss key topics in education such as cultivating top innovative talents and STEM education, as well as to explore cooperation opportunities between the two regions.

The Australian session of the19th Jiangsu International Forum for School Principals was held in Melbourne.

Sun Mengli and Li Linze, education consuls of the Chinese Consulate-General in Melbourne, attended the event. Linda Vaughan, Director of the International Division of Victoria's Department of Education, presided over the conference and delivered an opening speech. Zhu Zheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Principal of Zhonghua High School in Nanjing, gave the keynote speech, while Zhu Liuming (Secretary of the Party Committee of Huaiyin High School, Jiangsu), Chen Jihua (Secretary of the Party Committee and Principal of Kunshan High School), and Yang Li (Secretary of the Party Branch and Principal of Hutangqiao Experimental Primary School in Wujin District, Changzhou) also delivered remarks.

Linda Vaughan provided a detailed overview of the education cooperation between Victoria and Jiangsu, as well as the digital infrastructure of Victorian schools. She emphasized that Victoria highly values its education exchanges with Jiangsu, highlighting the long history and significant achievements of their cooperation.It is hoped that, by leveraging the platform of the cooperation conference, the strengths of both regions can be utilized to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the establishment of more sister schools, and jointly advance talent cultivation in both regions.

Under the title "Integration and Transcendence—Building a High-Quality Platform for the Development of Innovative Thinking Among Teachers and Students",  Zhu Zheng provided a detailed introduction to the mission and representative practices of cultivating top-notch innovative talents in Jiangsu's basic education sector. He pointed out that some basic education schools in Jiangsu, such as Nanjing Foreign Language School and Nanjing Zhonghua High School, are currently building high-quality platforms for fostering innovative thinking among teachers and students through the integration of faculty, curricula, and resources. The attending principals actively engaged in discussions on strategies and methods for nurturing top-notch innovative talents, as well as STEM education.

During the forum, the Jiangsu principals' delegation conducted field visits to one local education center for technological innovation and development, two primary and secondary schools, and five universities, gaining an in-depth understanding of Australia's practices in innovative talent cultivation, STEM education, school management, classroom teaching, and other related aspects.

Jiangsu Principals' Delegation visits primary and secondary schools in Australia

Jiangsu Principals' Delegation visits Australian Education Centre for Technological Innovation and Development

The year 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of the sister-state relationship between Jiangsu Province and Victoria. In recent years, through the active promotion by education authorities and schools in both regions, education cooperation has achieved significant progress, characterized by deepening inter-school partnerships, expanding teacher-student exchanges, and strengthened policy support.  In 2024 alone, nearly 300 teachers and students from 12 Victorian schools visited Jiangsu, conducting exchange programs in five cities including Nanjing, Suzhou, Lianyungang, Zhenjiang, and Yangzhou. In reciprocity, over 150 teachers and students from more than 10 Jiangsu schools traveled to Victoria for exchange activities with their sister schools.