2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 70th anniversary of Shanghai Normal University. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, RIICE and the UNESCO Teacher Education Centre (TEC)thoroughly studied and implemented the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, implemented the spirits of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches at the National Education Conference, and practiced the goal of building an innovative high-level university leading in teacher education proposed at the 8th Party Congress of the University. Centering on the Institute's mission of basing on international comparison, discovering educational knowledge, providing policy advice, cultivating professionals, and serving educational development and giving full play to the Centre's four functions of knowledge production, capacity building, technical services, and information sharing, new achievements were made in scientific research, international exchanges, and talent cultivation.
I. Scientific Research
1.The Institute hosted a series of academic activities marking the 10th anniversary of its founding and undertook the Standing Council Meeting of the Comparative Education Branch of the Chinese Society of Education;
2.The Institute was awarded Excellent in the second batch of acceptance evaluations for Shanghai University Think Tanks;
3.The Chinese version of the Global Teacher Report, collectively translated by the Institute, was officially released;
4.The Institute participated in formulating Shanghai's 2035 Education Development Plan;
5.Over 70% of the Institute's staff were listed among 2024 CNKI Highly Cited Scholars;
6.Professor Zhang Minxuan was approved for a major commissioned project of philosophy and social sciences research by the Ministry of Education;
7.Li Tingzhou, Xu Jinjie, and Song Jia were approved for general (youth) projects of the National Social Science Fund of Education;
8.Professor Wang Jie was approved for a general project of education in philosophy and social sciences by Shanghai Municipality;
9.The International Dissemination of Shanghai Mathematics project, led by Professor Huang Xingfeng and Dr. Ding Ruoxi, won the Merit Award of Shanghai's Silver Dove Award and the special fund for Promoting Chinese Culture Abroad;
10.Members of the Institute's innovation team published over 30 papers in domestic and foreign authoritative journals and obtained more than 10 commissioned projects at various levels from international organizations and educational administrative departments.
II. International Exchanges
1.The Centre was approved for the Ministry of Education's China-Africa STEM Education Teacher Training Cooperation Program (2025-2027);
2.Professor Zhang Minxuan delivered a keynote speech at the National Teachers' Congress of Kazakhstan and hosted the Academic Leadership Program jointly with the Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University;
3.Hosted the parallel session Digitalization of Educational Governance and Digital Education Governance at the 2024 World Digital Education Conference;
4.Undertook the OECD TALIS Governing Board Meeting and the 2024 International Symposium for Primary and Secondary School Principals;
5.Undertook the 8th Joint Meeting of UNESCO Category 2 Institutes in the Field of Education and the 4th Global Teacher Development Forum;
6.Undertook two sessions of the Advanced Training Program for Teacher Development in Belt and Road Initiative Partner Countries;
7.Hosted the Shanghai Training Program for Brazilian Gold Medal Mathematics Teachers;
8.Organized the second training program for Lao educational administrators in China;
9.Hosted the 2024 Shanghai Training and Exchange Program for Outstanding Indonesian Principals and the China-Indonesia-Thailand Principals' Forum;
10.A delegation led by Nguyen Kim Son, Minister of Education and Training of Vietnam, visited the Centre and reached an agreement on cooperation in the China-Vietnam Teacher Capacity Building Project.
III. Talent Cultivation
1.Professor Ning Bo was awarded a provincial-level talent title;
2.Dr. Shen Yihua and Dr. Li Ruimiao were selected into the National and Provincial Postdoctoral Youth Talent Support Programs, respectively;
3.Jordan Naidoo, former Executive Director of the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, officially joined the Centre as a distinguished professor;
4.Dr. Ding Ruoxi was awarded Excellent Instructor in Shanghai's student social practice competitions;
5.Wang Rui, Li Jiayang, Hu Rui, Zhang Mengli, and Zhao Xingni were awarded Shanghai Outstanding Graduates; Zhu Rongge and Su Kan were awarded Shanghai Normal University Outstanding Graduates;
6.Cheng Jialei, Liu Yutian, Hu Qi, Zhang Yunji, and Zhu Jiawen won the first prize in the Zhixing Cup Shanghai College Students' Social Practice Competition;
7.Sent the first batch of International STEM Education Volunteers to Tanzania for educational assistance;
8.Hosted the 2024 Young Scholars Forum of the Journal of Comparative Education;
9.Hosted the first Shanghai International Organization Youth Talent Summer Camp;
10.The developed course module Global Competence of STEM Normal Students was recognized by experts from the Ministry of Education's undergraduate teaching evaluation.
2025 is the closing year of the 14th Five-Year Plan and a crucial year for fully implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee. The Institute and the Centre will continue to strive for progress in organizational development, policy advice, international exchanges, knowledge sharing, technical support, and talent cultivation, promote the pragmatic and efficient implementation of major projects, and serve the reform and development of national and local education.
Comprehensive compilation: Song Jia
Research Institute for International and Comparative Education
UNESCO Teacher Education Centre
