On June 15th 2017, the SUSTech Experimental Education Group in the Nanshan District Building Lixiangju conference room held its opening ceremony, during which the Nanshan District Government and SUSTech signed a cooperation agreement.

Deputy secretary of the Nanshan District, Wang Qiang, the mayor of the district government, Wang Lide, deputy head of the district, Education Bureau Director Liu Genping and other special guests attended the meeting to witness the opening ceremony.

Guo Yurong, Chairperson of the University Council of SUSTech gave a speech at the ceremony. She said the SUSTech Experimental Education Group jointly established with the Nanshan District government is a first for the city as well as for SUSTech, and aims to deliver innovative solutions by combining the complimentary strengths of the two parties. It will play a significant role in higher education policies, and create synergies by making the most of the best educational resources and social services.

Chen Shiyi said at the meeting that he hoped to further develop innovative talents and enhance the Nanshan District through the cooperation agreement. He said he believed that SUSTech’s talents and innovation will be able to drive the group’s experimental development, because itself has the characteristics of a distinctive experimental school. The joint effort is of great significance not only in the basic education of primary and secondary schools, but also in many other fields such as medicine and healthcare.

Wang Qiang said that the Nanshan District government believes education is the largest livelihood project, and to promote the balanced development of education is an important step to promote the structural reforms and to narrow the inequalities between regions. SUSTech is the standard-bearer of China’s higher education reform, and he hoped that the group’s formation would be the starting point of a great step forward, to create the flagship of Nanshan district’s modern and innovative education.

The SUSTech Experimental Education Group is located in Xili University Town Area, close to the SUSTech campus, Tang Lang primary school and and other key educational institutions. The group will take the form of a council as a decision-making and supervision organ, and fully introduce university resources to promote cooperation and reform within education. It will also establish a special fund to support local schools and institutions.

Edited by: Jeremy Welburn