From September 23 to 24, the second batch of directors from Indonesia’s provincial Teacher Professional Development Centers visited the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (hereinafter referred to as the Centre). The delegation members were from North Sumatra, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Jambi, Banten, Bali, West Papua, Maluku, Bengkulu, and West Sulawesi provinces of Indonesia. This visit, promoted by Nunuk Suryani, Director of the Teacher Affairs Department of Indonesia, aimed to enhance cooperation and exchanges between Indonesia’s provincial Teacher Professional Development Centers and the Centre through practical engagement.
On the morning of September 23, Director Zhang Minxuan, Deputy Director Hu Guoyong, and Associate Professor Zhu Xiaohu (in charge of Southeast Asian cooperation) of the Centre jointly received the visiting guests. Director Zhang Minxuan introduced the Centre’s founding history to the directors and reviewed a series of fruitful cooperation and exchange programs carried out with Southeast Asian countries, particularly Indonesia, since its establishment. He also put forward suggestions on future cooperation in areas such as training targets, training methods, and fund-sharing models. Dr. Abkel, Director of the East Java Provincial Teacher Development Center, on behalf of the Indonesian side, expressed sincere gratitude to the Centre. He noted that China and Indonesia have maintained long-term and close relations, with economic, trade, and cultural ties growing stronger in recent years, and hoped that learning from China and Shanghai would promote the development of education in Indonesia. During the discussion session, both sides had in-depth communication on specific future cooperation projects.
At 8:30 a.m. on September 24, the delegation visited Xinmei Primary School in Minhang District, Shanghai. Chen Hong, Party Secretary and Principal of the school, welcomed the visitors on behalf of the school and led them on a campus tour. During the class observation session, four teachers gave lessons in English, Science, Mathematics, and pottery respectively. The classes left a deep impression on the delegation members, with their full focus on the educational value of disciplines, wonderful presentation of characteristic school-based courses, precise teaching supported by smart paper and pen, and authentic and engaging teacher-student interactions. In the final exchange session, Principal Chen Hong delivered a speech titled Activating Teachers’ Life Growth with School Culture, vividly elaborating on the school’s achievements and practical wisdom in school-running culture, teacher development, and characteristic cultivation, which triggered a lively discussion among the visiting guests.
On the afternoon of September 24, the delegation visited Shanghai Aidun Information Technology Co., Ltd. located in Changyang Innovation Valley, Yangpu District. The company’s product series OURSCHOOL deeply integrates artificial intelligence + education and serves a large number of domestic basic education institutions. The delegation visited the company’s R&D center and product exhibition, personally experienced the artificial intelligence + education product series, and felt the great potential of technology in improving teaching effectiveness and quality. Dr. Ramansur, Director of the Maluku Provincial Teacher Professional Development Center, stated that Indonesian education faces many challenges in data resources, technology application, and talent cultivation, and hoped that OURSCHOOL could help build a local database in Indonesia to promote the digital transformation of Indonesian education. In his concluding remarks, Associate Professor Zhu Xiaohu noted that technical support is one of the four major functions of the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre, and expressed hope that more Chinese educational technology companies will go global relying on the Centre’s platform to serve global education development.
Since its establishment, the Centre has successfully held multiple training and exchange programs for Southeast Asian countries, and set up a joint education center in Indonesia in 2023. In the future, the Centre will continue to promote cooperation with Southeast Asian countries in teacher training and research, serve the country’s Belt and Road Initiative, and advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
