Three Fiji National University (FNU) academics were given the opportunity to be part of an exchange project in Shanghai, China, earlier this month.

The College of Humanities and Education (CHE) academics included Assistant Professor Dr Satish Chand, Assistant Professor and Acting Head of School, School of Education Dr Sofia Ali and Lecturer in Education Fabiano Tikoinavuso.

The team attended the Belt and Road Shanghai Autumn 2023 Exchange Project on Integrated Training of Teachers before and after Service. The duration of the project was from 9-20 October.

Dr Ali said the project was funded by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (SHMEC) and organised by the Teacher Education Centre, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation), and the Research Institute for International and Comparative Education at Shanghai Normal University.

“The project aimed to facilitate the exchange of educational ideas and experiences among education administrators, university educators, researchers, school principals, and teachers from the Belt and Road countries,” said Dr Ali.

“It also aimed to explore the system design and performance mechanisms of preservice training and the lifelong development of teachers.”

She said the exchange project, which was themed ‘Integrated Training of Teachers Before and After Service’, welcomed around 36 participants from 19 countries around the world.

“We are very proud and thankful to the organisers and FNU for allowing us to be part of this and attend this 2023 exchange project,” she added.

“The activities of the project were a fruitful combination of seminars, school visits, and other cultural activities in two modules: international trends in pre-service teacher education and teacher preparation and in-service training.”

Source: FNU NIKUA – Fiji National University’s (FNU)