From 30-31 March, Pao School held its inaugural Global Education Forum, where distinguished guests exchanged ideas about different pedagogies and how to 'pioneer new models of education in China'. Guests at the forum included the leaders of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, the Shanghai Municipal Women's Federation, the League Committee, the United Front Work Department, the Changning District Education Bureau, the Songjiang District Education Bureau, the Shanghai Soong Ching-ling Research Association and the Shanghai Education Association. Other attendees included government leaders, academic luminaries from home and abroad, leaders from partner institutions and many teacher representatives.
On the first day of the forum, Pao School President Wu Zijian gave a welcome speech and explained to guests the significance of the forum. President Wu highlighted the opportunities for the development of Chinese education amidst a new wave of educational internationalisation. President Wu pointed out that the forum would address the cultivation of talented educators with superb knowledge of Chinese culture, a broad international outlook and well-rounded character.
During preparation for the forum, both the Changning District Education Bureau and the Songjiang District Education Bureau provided significant support to Pao School. Yao Qi, Director of the Changning Education Bureau, and Yao Hui, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Songjiang Education Bureau both attended the forum. They commended Pao School's efforts to integrate Chinese and international curricula. They further pointed out that the forum enables scholars of varied expertise and backgrounds to exchange ideas about educational innovation and the future path of educational development.
2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sir YK Pao, Grandfather of Pao School Founder Philip Sohmen. During his speech, Philip Sohmen said :
Pao School was founded to commemorate the life of Sir YK Pao and carry out his education dream. We sought to establish a forum for educators from China and overseas to exchange ideas and engage in dialogue. In this way, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their support to Pao School over this past decade. We also hope that in the days to come, you all will continue to support as we build a world-class school for tomorrow's China.
In a resplendent welcome to the forum's guests, Pao School's Primary School Choir sang melodiously. The students' musical virtuosity perfectly embodied Pao School's concept of whole-person education.
The Pao School Professional Learning Centre (PLC) , a key element of the school's new Five-Year-Plan, was officially launched at the forum. The Professional Learning Centre was created as an internal support system for Pao students and teachers. It will endeavour to strengthen the quality of instruction while promoting employee career development through a series of courses, training workshops and issuance of certifications. At the same time, PLC will create customised external courses outside the school to promote regional educational development and boost Pao School's thought leadership.
Yin Houqing, President of the Shanghai Institute of Education, delivered a keynote speech at the forum. He spoke about educational reform within the context of contemporary Chinese educational philosophy. Educational reform in China could include the implementation of new measures by which to accelerate educational development and develop innovative learning methods, he said.
Professor Chris Rudd, Provost at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, delivered a keynote speech entitled 'Sino-Foreign Universities – Lessons from the second decade'. Professor Rudd spoke about the success of the University of Nottingham's Ningbo campus, mentioning many aspects of school development, including curriculum development, organisational structure, school management, student body composition and the cultivation of social responsibility among students.
Further, six students from Pao High School spoke at the forum about their experiences at Pao School. The students' sincere and confident speeches made a profound impression on guests at the forum.
On the second day of the forum, nearly 200 educators and parents from home and abroad participated in keynote speeches and education workshops held at the Songjiang campus. The education workshops covered 40 different topics such as leadership training, the bilingual cooperative teaching model, character cultivation in students, Chinese language education in an international environment, growth mindset in children and teachers’ feedback.
In the future, Pao School hopes to continue providing outstanding educators with a platform for experience sharing.
Such a platform is valuable for the opportunity it offers to educators to speak freely, learn from each other, and develop innovative pedagogies.
