On July 24, 2024, a delegation from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the International STEM Education Volunteer Group (hereinafter referred to as the Volunteer Group) were invited to attend a welcome ceremony hosted by the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE) in Tanzania.
Among the Tanzanian representatives attending the meeting were: Charles Msonde, Permanent Secretary of the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government; Mathias Innocent Mula，Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; Anis Komba, Director of TIE; Fika Makabangu, Director of Curriculum and Training at TIE; as well as principals and teachers from local partner schools of the Volunteer Group, namely Olimpio Primary School, Diamond Primary School, Tool Secondary School, and Tambaza Secondary School.
Chinese representatives in attendance included: the delegation from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (hereinafter referred to as Shanghai Municipal Education Commission), comprising Wang Hao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Chen Hua, Director of the Physical Education, Health, Art, and Popular Science Department of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Han Chonghu, Director of the Information Technology Department of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Lu Ye, Director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Art Education Center; and Bu Hongxiao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Teacher Education Institute. Members of the International STEM Education Volunteer Group included Hu Guoyong, Deputy Director of the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (TEC) and Leader of the Volunteer Group; Huang Xingfeng, Chief Expert of the Project; Tian Hongjiong, Mathematics Education Expert; Ding Ruoxi, Project Coordinator; Shen Yihua, STEM Education Expert; Wang Hao, Technical Expert; Cheng Yijun, Mathematics Teacher from Yangjing Juyuan Experimental School; Zhang Minxue, Mathematics Teacher from the International Department of High School Affiliated to Fudan University; and Shanghai Normal University PhD candidates Zhang Yunji and Hu Qi, along with master’s students Zhu Jiawen and Cheng Jialei.
At the outset of the meeting, Permanent Secretary Charles extended a warm welcome to the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission delegation and the International STEM Education Volunteer Group. He noted that China and Tanzania have been friendly cooperative partners for many years. The training programs provided by the TEC team for Tanzanian mathematics teachers have played a significant role in promoting student development, teacher training, and educational progress in Tanzania. He expressed gratitude for the active contributions of the Volunteer Group members and the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, and expressed hope for continued strengthened cooperation in areas such as teacher exchange programs, online teaching research training, and international education volunteer practices.
Wang Hao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, stated that China and Tanzania have enjoyed 60 years of diplomatic relations, and cooperation in education has played an important role in fostering people-to-people bonds and cultural mutual learning in foreign exchanges. The Shanghai Municipal Government will continue to strive to support the in-depth development of this project, deepen cooperation between the two countries in education, science, and technology, jointly promote educational modernization, and contribute to the prosperity and development of both nations.
Hu Guoyong, Deputy Director of TEC and Leader of the Volunteer Group, reviewed the cooperation history of the mathematics teacher professional development project between TEC and Tanzania, and introduced the members of this year’s International STEM Education Volunteer Group working in Tanzania. He pointed out in his speech that since 2021, TEC has fully committed itself to the mathematics education training project in cooperation with Tanzania. This project has not only improved local mathematics education in Tanzania but also promoted the integration of China’s Teaching Research Group (TRG) culture with Tanzania’s local MEWAKA system, helping Tanzania build a national in-service teacher professional development system.
Huang Xingfeng, Chief Expert of the Project, provided a detailed review of the cooperation between the TEC team and various Tanzanian schools and institutions at all levels. He focused on explaining the arrangements and processes of the 2023 and 2024 International STEM Education Volunteer Groups’ in-depth teaching and research activities in local Tanzanian schools, presented rich materials on classroom observation and teachers’ collaborative learning, and expressed confidence and commitment to long-term educational cooperation with Tanzania to build a better future.
In his concluding remarks, Mathias, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, once again expressed gratitude for this cooperation. He emphasized that Tanzania attaches great importance to learning from international experiences and looks forward to maintaining long-term cooperative relations with China. Mathias particularly welcomed more international investment, especially in the construction of teacher training colleges, believing that this will significantly promote the development of Tanzanian education and further strengthen educational cooperation between the two countries.
Following the concluding remarks, Chinese and Tanzanian representatives jointly witnessed the unveiling of the smart classroom donated by Shanghai Yijiao Technology Co., Ltd. with support from TEC.
After the welcome ceremony, Cheng Yijun, a mathematics teacher from Shanghai Yangjing Juyuan Experimental School, delivered an open teaching demonstration using the smart classroom, attended by key leaders from both China and Tanzania, as well as representatives from multiple schools in Dar es Salaam. After the class, Professor Huang Xingfeng organized members of the Volunteer Group, over 40 on-site Tanzanian teachers, and more than 50 teachers from 3 other schools with donated smart classrooms participating online to conduct joint teaching research activities.
At the end of the event, Chinese and Tanzanian representatives took a group photo with the students who participated in the open class.
From July 25 to 26, 2024, the delegation from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, accompanied by Hu Guoyong, Deputy Director of TEC, and others, visited Zanzibar Island for exchanges.
On July 25, the delegation from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the TEC delegation visited the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Zanzibar, where a discussion was held under the chairmanship of Mr. Khalid Waziri Massonde, Permanent Secretary. The two sides conducted in-depth discussions on the digital transformation of education and the future development of STEM education. Wang Hao, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, shared Shanghai’s achievements and experiences in educational digitalization. Professor Hu Guoyong, Deputy Director of TEC, introduced the Centre’s main functions and several ongoing teacher training programs. Permanent Secretary Massonde expressed great expectation for future cooperation projects between the Shanghai team and Zanzibar in training mathematics and science teachers.
On July 26, the delegation visited Tumekuja Secondary School, toured the campus and the donated smart classroom accompanied by the school principal, and the school expressed gratitude for Shanghai’s support in educational digitalization. After the visit, the two sides took a group photo at the school gate.
