EWIE has been established for 17 years since the establishment of Wiseway Study Abroad in 1999. Our earliest focus was on studying abroad; Studying abroad may be a microcosm and a starting point of our educational openness. The opening up of Chinese education, in a sense, is China’s reform and opening up, which began with the first batch of Chinese students sent abroad. In the late Qing Dynasty, sending a large number of international students such as Rong Hong to the United States marked the first step of China’s opening-up. Of course, this is a process that has been a very painful struggle for decades. In modern China, the international education industry after the reform and opening up also began with studying abroad.
We have been working in the field of studying abroad for over a decade, and studying abroad services are a great career. Up to now, our Wiseway Study Abroad is also a leading study abroad institution in the country. But in this process, we found that we only served a small group of people or a specific group of people, only some of our domestic students and parents. The demand for international education in society is much broader than this, and the demand for international education in society also includes some domestic and foreign educational institutions that need our help; Enterprises and institutions at all levels and types actually have this demand. So I think international education is gradually becoming our main positioning and a larger direction for future development.
Having done a good job in international education, I believe it is beneficial for our country’s education, economic and social development, and long-term development.
Firstly, let’s examinet what benefits our education system. We have achieved great success in education in China, but at the same time, we still encounter various views and opinions. Many people have put forward high requirements for what kind of education we need and what kind of people education should cultivate. In the past few days, after watching President Xi’s speech at the National Innovation and Technology Conference on CCTV, a special film called “The Road to Innovation” has been released, with a total of 10 episodes. The theme is innovation. This is a series of films that start with education, especially basic education. The main body of innovation is people. Why are there innovative people or those who are good at innovation? It is very important whether their education system at a very young age can help and bring innovative genes, ideas, motivation, and methods.
So I think innovation is just a small example. Overall, our education is facing significant challenges, as well as further tasks and directions for reform.
The 2020 education reform plan of the country clearly states that it aims to promote reform through openness. The usual situation is that only by opening up can we see the gap, see other people’s different methods, and perhaps have the motivation to reform. So I think many times, reform and opening up are complementary.
I think enhancing internationalization elements in the field of education will be very beneficial for enhancing our understanding of education reform issues, and will help us improve our education level, making our education reform faster and achieving greater achievements. So I believe that the development of international education plays an undeniable role in promoting and promoting educational reform and opening up.
Cooperative education programs at all levels and types, diverse student exchange programs abroad, and foreign students studying in China will all promote continuous reform and innovation in our education, which also brings us greater directions for reform.
Secondly, if international education is done well, it is undoubtedly very beneficial for economic and social development. Because the foundation of economic development requires an international talent team.
China’s economy has now reached the position of the world’s second largest economy and is catching up with and surpassing its position as the world’s largest economy. Moreover, the development of the Chinese economy seems to be the trend, and China will eventually become the world’s largest economy. Some people estimated that in 2022, while others estimated that in 2020, regardless, in the near future, China will play a leading role in the world, both in terms of GDP and our contribution to global economic growth. We are already one of the world’s top powers. Our contribution to world economic growth is now much greater than that of the United States. In this situation, it is obvious that China’s economy will further internationalize; Not only is there constantly evolving international trade, but there is also constantly evolving investment, mergers and acquisitions, and market promotion around the world. Chinese products will inevitably go global; The world will also become a big market for China. Enterprises like Huawei and PetroChina are gradually expanding their business around the world, and the development of these international businesses requires a continuously internationalized talent team to help achieve.
I think Huawei’s leader Ren Zhengfei has been saying recently that college students who join Huawei should first go to Africa for training. Of course, these students not only refer to Chinese university students, but also include young employees who have returned from overseas and want to join Huawei. Going to Africa for exercise is to increase his international perspective and experience.
So, I think having a team of international talents is very important for China’s economy, and it is also a very important foundation for our long-term and far-reaching internationalization of the Chinese economy.
Finally, I believe that international education is also very important for our country.
Xu Xianming, former president of Shandong University and now deputy secretary-general of the Central Political and Legal Commission, gave a speech at Tsinghua University in October 2015, in which he talked about how China can be said to have become a great country. He talked about five standards, the first being the economy, the second being politics, the third being military, and two very important aspects, culture and system. What does it mean culturally? Do you have a unique spiritual and cultural heritage? Apart from being wealthy and able to fight, how can you lead the world in culture? This requires our Chinese people to be able to go global and our culture to spread throughout the world.
Of course, he also talked about the system. Which good systems can gradually be widely recognized by everyone in terms of system, and participate in the formulation of important rules internationally, including the World Bank, Bretton Woods system, and monetary system established by the United States after World War II, which are all significant for future construction. So, in order for China to achieve this, we must have outstanding achievements in education and international education. We need to cultivate a talent pool with international series that can adapt to the development of international undertakings. In a sense, if we cultivate such a talent team, then whether it’s our 2020 education plan or President Xi’s strategic ideas, I think it can truly be implemented and implemented.
So, I think the international education industry is indeed very important, and we are also pleased to see this at such an important historical moment, and our colleagues can also see this. We are all willing to do some of our work in this area.
Of course, from the perspective of international education in both the East and the West, we are a company and cannot do grand things at the national level. We are just following the trend of the times, starting from the big picture and small aspects, and starting from the parts we can do, truly creating some value for students, parents, society, and schools, and realizing our benefits through the process of realizing this value.
As an enterprise, economic and social benefits must be equally emphasized, and economic benefits are also very important. Without the guarantee of economic benefits, social benefits cannot be discussed. So I think we have adapted to the development of social history, and we are doing a very great part of it.
Journalist’s question 2: China’s data on studying abroad surpassed the 500000 mark for the first time at the end of 2015, and is expected to reach the 600000 mark by the end of 2016. China’s development also brings window opportunities for development in other fields of education and foreign exchanges. May I ask how the EWIEs have combined their strengths to develop the international education industry?
The general understanding of international education may include studying abroad, various forms of cooperative education programs, and some English training related programs. Society is constantly developing, and while these are certainly very important aspects of international education, they may also be just one aspect. The direct connotation should be richer than this.
Firstly, I believe that from the perspective of studying abroad, the future development trend of our study abroad will definitely be further expansion and popularization. The numbers you just mentioned, such as 500000 and 600000, also support the trend of populization. This trend means that the proportion of middle-income families studying abroad is increasing. I think this is a very important message.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education in 2015, the number of people studying abroad reached 523700. The white paper released by the National Tourism Administration shows that the number of Chinese citizens traveling abroad reached 120 million in 2015. Even though some of them went abroad twice or three times a year, the difference between 120 million and 500000 is still significant, about 240 times. So what we are looking for is that the number of people studying abroad in the future will definitely be between these 500000 and 120 million; Perhaps this 120 million yuan will further develop, and there is a certain number in between. I think this number will further develop.
In addition, it may also bring a trend of short-term study abroad, with shorter deadlines and involving more ordinary families.
I think the proportion of people studying abroad for a long time will definitely decrease as society develops to a certain extent, Chinese universities and higher education institutions develop to a certain extent. Currently, many students spend three years in high school, four years for an undergraduate degree, and an additional two years for a master’s or doctoral program abroad The number of people going abroad is increasing, but the average duration of study is becoming shorter. More and more students may choose to study abroad for a year, a semester, or even a period of time. Of course, the number of these students has not been comprehensively recorded in the Ministry of Education’s study abroad statistics.
From a very mature market like the United States, in the 13-14 academic year, the number of people studying abroad in the United States reached 304000, of which 62% were less than 8 weeks old; That is to say, about two-thirds of these 304000 people have a short time studying abroad; 35% of people study for about one semester, no more than six months; Only 3% of those over a year old. Of course, the statistics in the United States only cover current students, including high school and college students who go abroad, and do not include those who go abroad directly. But the number of people going abroad directly is definitely a very low number. As you can see, his number is actually very different from the distribution of students we have now.
It is only a matter of time before China, as a developing country, gradually moves towards becoming a developed country. So, by 2050, China will probably be a developed country. At that time, perhaps the distribution of our students going abroad may form an analogy with other developed countries. Of course, our population base is larger, and the number of students will definitely be larger than theirs. However, I believe that as China moves towards a developed country, what students and parents pursue, including the full development of China’s higher education and school education, will make Chinese families and schools adopt a more ideal approach to studying abroad.
So I think we will provide a variety of study abroad services, including long-term, short-term, and summer courses, which I think may become a very important part of international education in the future.
Another very important aspect is that with the continuous improvement of China’s international status, the opportunities it brings may also increase, and China’s income level is also constantly improving. Therefore, we will also see more and more foreign students and foreigners coming to China to study various Chinese courses. I believe there are also many opportunities in this, and this trend is definitely developing. So, the connotation of international education we are talking about actually includes various overseas projects, as well as various projects for coming to China and international educational exchanges. This is what we are thinking about and what we should do.
Reporter’s question 3: The work goals proposed in the “Several Opinions on Doing a Good Job in Opening up Education to the Outside World in the New Era” issued by the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council are: by 2020, China’s service system for studying abroad will be basically sound, the quality of studying abroad in China will be significantly improved, the efficiency of foreign-related education will be significantly improved, the breadth and depth of bilateral and multilateral education cooperation will be effectively expanded, the ability to participate in the formulation of international rules in the field of education will be significantly improved, the standardization and rule of law level of education opening up to the outside world will be significantly improved, better meeting the diverse and high-quality education needs of the people, and better serving. May I ask how EWIE actively participates in the practice of achieving the above work goals?
Firstly, what we are doing and need to do should include a study abroad service throughout the entire industry chain, which is currently a very important and important business for us. Of course, the study abroad service we are currently doing needs to be further extended, including training before extending to study abroad services. We are already doing this. We will also extend to post study abroad, including some services overseas. Now, I see more and more institutions engaged in this field, in order to enable students to enjoy some corresponding services overseas. As the number of people studying abroad continues to increase, these issues will obviously arise, and there is a need for someone to provide necessary training services for students overseas. We are planning to open several offices in the United States to do these things. We already have an office in the UK and are gradually developing some services in this area.
We have recently found that many students who come back also need corresponding services in terms of academic credentials, employment, and household registration. We are trying and attempting to extend the services that students need after returning to their home country, to provide a one-stop study abroad service.
Secondly, I think it is very important to carry out various international courses. Our service targets are not only students, but also domestic schools. Domestic schools also need some services to a certain extent, such as offering various levels and types of overseas related training and courses. So the problem that Chinese schools generally face with these overseas training courses is that they don’t know how to recruit students, and schools rarely spend money on advertising. But it should be noted that enrollment itself requires money, as well as specialized teams and knowledge. So, in this regard, we have our professional abilities and foundation. We also have a wealth of consulting skills to provide advice to students. After these students enroll, we have a strong ability to help them implement their next learning plans and find good foreign schools. Therefore, I think in this regard, our international courses and cooperative education courses are very important projects that we are working on.
Thirdly, a few years ago, we collaborated with six liberal arts colleges in the United States and established an alliance of liberal arts colleges to enable Chinese students to receive elite education in the United States. We believe that liberal arts colleges in the United States are very suitable for Chinese students. Although the popularity of liberal arts colleges in China is not yet widespread among students and parents, they are indeed an elite form of education. Many American celebrities and elites in politics, business, and technology education graduated from liberal arts colleges. When Chinese students go abroad, their parents certainly hope to receive such elite education, so we are also doing this. We have also launched some international education courses in overseas liberal arts colleges.
Fourthly, for a long period of time, we were actually working on some projects and did not build any schools. Therefore, based on current practice, we may also feel that it is necessary to establish some distinctive international education bases and schools with international education as the main focus. Therefore, we have also invested some energy in carrying out this work in recent years, and some international education bases are also being implemented.
Fifthly, we just talked about some very important short-term issues, and we are also working on short-term international education projects. We hope to develop through some short-term international education projects, especially those aimed at education, not solely at popular school trips, summer trips, and other types of trips on the market. I think what we need to do is definitely educational projects. We have also put a very high agenda on the research and development of such short-term projects. We are currently discussing cooperation and carrying out such projects with China National Travel Service Group Exit and Entry Co., Ltd. This is also a very important thing we are currently doing.
Sixth, we also believe that students participating in international education projects, including those in China, may still require some certificates. Therefore, we are also collaborating with some certificate issuing institutions in China, such as the China International Talent Development Center, the Development Research Center of the State Council, and the National Talent Exchange Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, to carry out some certificate issuing work. Especially for jobs with international certificates, we believe that certificates are also a very important part of education.
Seventh, as mentioned earlier, in addition to some services related to Chinese students, we are also committed to carrying out some work related to coming to China. Last year, in 2015, we acquired a company specifically designed for foreign students to intern in China. The project is called GI2C, Going to China, which is currently the most important platform for foreign students to intern in China. I believe this platform provides a certain foundation and a springboard for foreign students to understand and enter China. What we are currently developing are some international education courses taught in English. I think this may indicate that there is greater potential and future for cooperation with domestic universities.
I believe that around these studies abroad training programs, international courses, elite education in liberal arts colleges, short-term international education programs, international certificate programs, and some internships and study abroad programs in China, we have built practical experiences in various aspects of international education from both the East and the West. This is currently, and also the direction we are actively working towards.
As I mentioned earlier, as a commercial organization, we are using commercial methods to do something socially meaningful. We need to realize our own business value and provide students with various services that are recognized by everyone. At the same time, this type of service has its public welfare attribute, which is beneficial to the country, society, and some schools; So, I think we are doing a very meaningful job.
As we all know, EWIE was listed on the New Third Board on May 17, 2016. We just attended the listing ceremony of the National Equities Exchange System on July 5. As a company listed on the New Third Board, facing society and the public, this is a very important milestone in our development history.
We hope that after becoming a new third board enterprise, we can provide a broader platform for the development of various other businesses. For us, we hope to make the enterprise bigger, but we need more talents, more teams, and more cooperation.
In fact, in the field of international education, money is not the top priority, and earning more money is not our primary goal; In the field of international education, it is important to have talents and teams. We hope to work together through this platform to strengthen and expand the international education industry in both the East and the West faster and better. I think this is a very important mission we are currently facing.