Dhaka, Bangladesh – April 21, 2025:
A 14-member higher education delegation from Yunnan Province, China attended a symposium on education cooperation at North South University (NSU). The delegation was led by Zhao Derong, Deputy Director of the Department of Education of Yunnan Province. The delegation was attended by directors and senior officials of the international cooperation offices of the top ten universities in Yunnan.
NSU Vice Chancellor Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury said in his welcome speech, “Our academic relations with China are deepening day by day. We have seen significant progress, especially in learning the Chinese language and cultural exchange. We want to further expand this relationship with universities in Yunnan Province.”
Zhao Derang expressed his enthusiasm in his speech and said, “The educational bridge between Yunnan and Bangladesh is getting stronger day by day. We want to further promote academic exchanges, joint research, and language learning. We especially want to increase cooperation in three areas: talent development, institutional exchanges, and the expansion of language learning.”
NSU’s Director of External Affairs Dr. Cynthia McKinney highlighted the university’s international collaborations. “Our Confucius Institute has become an important center for learning Chinese language and culture. We look forward to expanding our collaboration with China,” she said.
Representatives from various universities in Yunnan presented the specialties of their institutions and potential areas of cooperation. Duan Jingwu, vice president of Yunnan University, proposed opening a Chinese language department at NSU. “We are interested in launching joint programs in various fields, including business administration,” he said.
Pan Xuejun, vice president of Kunming University of Science and Technology, came up with a novel proposal. He said, “We want to create a special cooperation model based on ‘education, technology, and humanities,’ where student exchanges, joint research, and cultural exchanges will come together.”
“We want to launch a joint degree program in pharmacy. We can also launch special training courses to teach acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine,” said Ms. Yu Ji, vice president of Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, which is renowned for teaching Chinese medicine.
Zhao Ruji a representative of Honghe University emphasized cultural exchange. He said, “Along with education, cultural exchange will strengthen the bond between the people of our two countries. We want to continue this work through the Confucius Institute.”
Shen Yuqiong, vice president of Yunnan Vocational College of Finance and Economics and an expert in vocational education, said, “We are working on a special model called ‘Chinese language + vocational education.’ We want to work with NSU to build skilled manpower in the finance and technology sectors.”
Deans and department heads of various schools of NSU welcomed the proposals. Professor AKM Warsul Karim, Dean of the School of Business and Economics, said, “China’s experience in business education is very valuable for us. We are interested in launching joint research and student exchange programs.”
After the seminar, the delegates visited the NSU Confucius Institute. They were impressed by the students’ Chinese songs and poems. Zhao Derong said, “These young people will be the ambassadors of the bond between our two countries in the future.”
The visit is not just a formal meeting but also marks the beginning of a new chapter in educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Experts believe that such cooperation will play an important role in elevating Bangladesh’s higher education sector to international standards.