Education Minister George Abbott signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Hebei Education Department today in advance of the upcoming certification of a new B.C. offshore school in Xianghe and to mark the recent B.C. certification of an offshore school in Langfang.

The Canada Langfang High School recently received B.C. certification in February, and will have a capacity for 70 Grade 10 students next year. The Xianghe No. 1 High School campus will host a new 500-student capacity B.C. certified school. This new school is a partnership between Nechako Lakes School District 91 and the Xianghe Education Bureau and construction will make extensive use of B.C. wood. The partnership follows a twinning agreement signed last year to communicate and share ideas between the two jurisdictions.

Earlier in the day, Abbott met with Dr. Luxin, China's Deputy Minister of Education, a ministry responsible for 200 million K-12 students. China's long-term education reform and development plan (2010-20) places great emphasis on opening Chinese education to the outside world through student exchanges and collaboration.

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The minister also met with the China Education Association for International Exchange to discuss issues such as the recruitment and placement of B.C. teachers and a proposed exchange program to train secondary school principals in B.C. and China.

A meeting with David Mulroney, Canada's Ambassador to China, focused on ways to support the movement of students between China and Canada through such initiatives as prioritized visa processing.

On Tuesday, the minister met with civic officials and reporters in Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Zone and toured Tianjin Maple Leaf Education Park. Maple Leaf is the largest operator of B.C.-certified schools in China.

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On Monday, Abbott was in Dalian and met with civic officials, conducted interviews with business reporters to promote the B.C. education brand, and toured the Dalian Maple Leaf Educational Park with students.

Quotes:

George Abbott, Minister of Education -

"Hebei Province is an example of an area in China looking to partner with B.C. in a number of areas. We want to build on our relationships to create mutual economic opportunities and encourage educational and cultural exchange."

"It was a pleasure to meet with Dr. Luxin to explore China's plan for education reform. Their government is placing great emphasis on opening Chinese education to the outside world through student exchanges and collaboration. British Columbia is in an ideal position to help the Chinese meet their objectives and we had a good discussion on how we can create more educational opportunities in both our jurisdictions."

"British Columbia's K-12 system has a great international reputation for high-quality education with good pathways to post secondary."

Quick Facts:

• Abbott is in China to establish new relationships and enhance existing ones with the goal of increasing the number of international students studying in B.C. and in B.C.-certified offshore schools.
• B.C.'s first MOU with the Chinese National Ministry of Education was signed in 2003. Since then the total has grown to 18, including the MOU announced today.
• International Education (K-12 and post-secondary) represents 17 per cent of B.C.'s total export to China.

Learn More at:

Information for International Students: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/en/themes/education/international_students/index.page

Contact:

Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Education
250 356-5963