Last week, Consul Mr. Wu, Commissioner Ms. Zhao (Technology and Education) and Assistant Commissioner Ms. Shu of Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai visited SIP Education Bureau and had a deep discussion. Secretary Mr. Xu Shaojie of the Education Bureau warmly welcomed the consul's visit. Mr. Zhao Guangyi, the principal of our school, Mr. David Wang, the chairman of our program and Mr. Fergusson, the Canadian principal, attended the discussion.
Secretary Mr. Xu first introduced the rapid development of international education in SIP in recent years. With the care and support of the Education Bureau and the High School affiliated to Soochow University, the Sino-Canada Program has grown from 10 students at the beginning to more than 200 students today, and has formed a good reputation in Suzhou, serving as an important example of Sino-Canadian educational cooperation. The short-term study program, launched in 2004, has sent nearly 1,200 students and more than 200 teachers to public schools in Canada. Every public school in SIP offers oral English classes with foreign teachers. After the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, the Education Bureau of SIP invited a global tender to realize the real-time online video teaching of primary and secondary schools. In terms of higher education, more and more excellent overseas universities choose to settle down in Suzhou Industrial Park.
Consul Mr. Wu said that the Consulate General of Canada in Shanghai attaches great importance to and supports the cooperation and development of Canadian education in China. So far, there are more than 80 Canadian international schools and programs across the country. As a link between China and Canada, the consulate is continuing to actively seek cooperation opportunities at the secondary school and university levels. In 2019, the Canadian government began to prepare a new international education strategy. Through government funding, more and more Canadian university students are encouraged to go to Asia, especially China, for exchange study of one semester to one year, so as to better understand and experience the rapid development of education in Asia and China in recent years.
Finally, Consul Mr. Wu thanked SIP for its support for Canadian education and said that he would continue to explore and seek opportunities for further exchanges and cooperation between the two sides.
