On the afternoon of March 29, 2016, SUSTech and Shenzhen High School signed Agreement on Co-building Base of Jointly-cultivating Innovative Talents before granting the tablet. Both parties will work together to establish the new mechanism of cultivating innovative talents featuring “innovative education, joint cultivation and overall development”, improve theories of education innovation and talent training pattern. SUSTech President Chen Shiyi attended the ceremony and had face-to-face talks with some Grade 12 students while answering their questions. Also present at the ceremony were Shenzhen High School Principal Zhao Li and SUSTech Vice President Song Deyi.

The proposed Base of Jointly-cultivating Innovative Talents is designed to implement the State Council’s Decision to Reform and Develop Fundamental Education and State Council’s Opinion of Deepening the Exam and Enrollment Regulation Reform. SUSTech will take full advantage of its role as the pilot-test university of tertiary education reform in China. University and high school join hands to provide quality-oriented education. Focusing on innovation spirit and practical ability of high-school students, it will cultivate excellent students with great comprehensive ability, solid foundation, strong sense of responsibility, wonderful discipline performance and innovation potential.

According to the agreement, Shenzhen High School will function as the Base of Jointly-cultivating Innovative Talents for SUSTech. Both parties will actively cooperate on student cultivation, teaching and R&D, make surveys, work hard on effective connection between innovative high-school education and tertiary education, provide theoretical basis for high-school program reform and cultivation of innovative talents in universities, engage in inter-university cooperation and exchanges, take opportunities of major ceremonies and campus open day, engage in science-promotion lectures and mutual visits between teachers and students, thus enhancing understanding, deepening friendship and promoting work.

SUSTech will provide full support for Shenzhen High School students and teachers to experience campus life, do research and experiments and engage in research technologies in SUSTech. Relying on discipline development, it will provide guidance and support for enriching campus culture, expanding student knowledge, pushing forward research practice and discipline competition, and engaging in the program of jointly-cultivating innovative talents by organizing lectures, research guidance, co-building labs and establishing scholarship and funds that award excellent teachers, etc. SUSTech organizes personnel to introduce its enrollment policies, answer questions regarding application and help with application preparation. Shenzhen High School provides relevant support while actively mobilizing and encouraging outstanding high-school graduates to apply for SUSTech.

Before the ceremony, President Chen Shiyi introduced his personal experience in Peking University and SUSTech before discussing with some Grade 12 science students in Shenzhen High School. He answered, in a frank way, questions raided by teachers and students involving talent cultivation, education characteristics, cultural education, innovation and entrepreneurship, etc.

Discussion

Some students asked, as a new university without a long history, what are advantages of SUSTech compared with traditional ones. President Chen Shiyi said SUSTech is the most flourishing university he has even seen. Though the university was established not long ago, it has taken many innovative measures and attempts in some key fields. The universities do need long time for the purpose of accumulation. However, new universities have high standards and less burden. As a result, teachers and students can make full interactions. Each student is the creator of university history and helps accumulate the history. The future of each student is the future of SUSTech. And this is the new good points.

Some students asked how SUSTech, as a university of technology, builds its social-science disciplines. President Chen Shiyi said, to cultivate the epoch-making talents, the science disciplines are not sufficient. SUSTech attaches great importance to cultivating the cultural performance of students. It is working hard to prepare relevant centers. It is expected the new students coming in September will listen to lectures given by masters in social science and literature. 

Some students asked which way is better, studying overseas for undergraduate courses or postgraduate courses? President Chen said the 4-year university life is very important to form the life and world notion of a person. He proposed studying overseas for postgraduate courses after finishing the undergraduate courses. When science and technologies develop fast, the students should have great ambitions. But they should come back to China after graduation.

The ceremony were also attended by Zhao Hongjun, Director of SUSTech Admission Office, and Tang Bin, Head of Guangdong Admission Team. It is known that SUSTech will send people to visit other high schools in Shenzhen and hope to discuss with them about how to cultivate the top innovative people.