Education mission to China, Korea, South East Asia

Education Minister Trevor Mallard will depart for Asia on Wednesday 12 May on an education mission.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard will depart for Asia on Wednesday 12 May on an education mission aimed at strengthening education relationships at government-to-government level, and lifting New Zealand's profile as world class destination for education.

"We have important historical education ties with South East Asia, and more recent education relationships with China and Korea. Through my mission I want to see our education relationships with these countries further strengthened in fields of joint research and student and academic exchanges," Trevor Mallard said.

The mission encompasses China, Korea and South East Asia. During the two-week trip Trevor Mallard will meet with Chinese Minister of Education Mr Zhou Ji, South Korean Minister of Education and Training Mr Ahn Byoung-young, Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Prof Nguyen Minh Hien, Thai Minister of Education Mr Adisai Bodharamik, Cambodian Secretary of State Mr Im Sethy, and Malaysian Minister of Education Datuk Mr Hishammuddin Tun Hussein and Minister of Higher Education Datuk Dr Shafie Mohd Salleh.

"My meeting with Mr Zhou Ji in Beijing will build on my visit there last September and previous discussions in May 2002. We will be discussing the number of changes our government has made to lift the quality of education and care that international students receive," Trevor Mallard said.

As Associate Finance Minister, Trevor Mallard will attend the Asia Development Bank meeting in South Korea, then hold a day of education meetings in Seoul, before leading an education mission to South East Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia). Trevor Mallard will be accompanied by representatives from 18 institutions who provide international education.

Trevor Mallard will visit institutions which have relationships with New Zealand, hold media briefings, speak at seminars with local education agents and witness the signing of several institutional agreements.

These include a teacher exchange agreement between the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and the Association of Colleges of Education in New Zealand, an agreement between Korea University and Victoria University of Wellington and another between INTI College in Malaysia and the University of Otago.

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