Cooperation agreement signed between Maltese and Chinese educational institutions

A cooperation agreement between Malta and China was recently signed, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said during a press conference held at the University of Malta this morning.

At the conference, Bartolo gave a breakdown of his visit to China, during which this cooperation agreement, which sees the two countries recognising degrees and academic achievements, was signed.

This agreement will allow Maltese students to further their studies in top Chinese academic institutions, while the University of Malta will further open its doors to Chinese students.

University rector Juanito Camilleri, who accompanied Bartolo on his visit to China, said Chinese universities were high-class institutions and Maltese students would now be able to study there, knowing their achievements will be recognised.

Shanghai came out tops in the recent PISA benchmark study by the OECD. In light of this, the discussion between the Maltese and Chinese delegations focused on the strategy adopted by Shanghai in order to achieve these results. Bartolo expressed Malta's interest in collaborating with Shanghai's Education Commission in order to exchange best practice.

During the minister's visit to China, discussions were also held about collaboration in the field of Shipping and Navigation Studies between Shanghai Maritime University, University of Malta and MCAST.

The Maltese delegation also met 20 students who have expressed interest in coming to Malta to enroll in the newly-launched International Masters Programme on Ocean Governance, which will begin in September together with the International Ocean Institute.

The delegation was hosted at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), which trains many of China's career diplomats and top executives, and which has asked for the Maltese government and University's assistance in setting up a programme dedicated to Maltese language and culture. BFSU teaches all EU languages, and its students normally take at least three languages.

During a discussion with Shanghai University of Traditional Medicine, with whom an agreement was signed just a month ago, Bartolo and Camilleri discussed the launching of a collaborative international masters programme on traditional Chinese medicine and culture, which would involve the Maltese Department of Health, the Mediterranean Regional Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kordin, and the Mater Dei Clinic.

Bartolo also said that Malta was interested in research collaboration in the field of digital communications and media with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of China's top institutions, comparable to the US Ivy League. Malta will send a technical delegation soon to explore this possibility, as well as links with other engineering and ICT disciplines.

The University of Malta and Shanghai Jiao Tong University are already collaborating in an Erasmus Mundus programme in the field of Language and Communication Technology, particularly the aspects of Natural Language Processing.

In Shanghai, the Maltese delegation was hosted by vice mayor Weng Tie Hui and other officials from the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.