On September 25, the 2024 China-India Principals' Dialogue, themed "The School Mission of Cultivating Innovative Talents," was held at Jinyuan Senior High School. As part of the "Neighborhood School International Exchange Capacity Enhancement Plan," this event was guided by the Center for Humanitarian Exchanges of the Ministry of Education and the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, hosted by the Putuo District Education Bureau, co-organized by the Putuo District Institute of Education and Jinyuan Senior High School, and co-sponsored by the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of East China Normal University.
Ding Lianpu, director of the Mechanism Work Division I of the Center for Humanitarian Exchanges, Fu Xianfeng, first secretary of the Education Group of the Chinese Embassy in India, Zhou Qinjian, director of the International Exchange Division of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, Zhou Yong, deputy director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of East China Normal University, Zhao Ping, deputy secretary of the Party Committee for Education Work and director of the Putuo Education Bureau, and Qu Zhijun and Bao Yuquan, deputy directors of the district Education Bureau, attended the meeting. Representatives of school principals from China and India participated in the meeting.
Zhou, on behalf of the Municipal Education Commission, extended a warm welcome to the Indian principal delegation, reviewed the recent international exchange and cooperation in basic education in Shanghai, and the achievements of educational exchanges and cooperation between China and India. He expressed hope that through this dialogue, educational concepts of the two countries could be exchanged, the vision of principals could be broadened, more schools could establish cooperation, and development could be planned together.
Zhao thanked all parties for their support of the event. In the future, Putuo Education will continue to deepen educational cooperation with India on the basis of the 17-year friendly cooperation between Jinyuan Senior High School and Tagore International School in India, strengthen exchanges in the field of youth, and looks forward to in-depth discussions among Chinese and Indian principals to further promote innovation and development in the field of education between Putuo and India.
At the meeting, Jinyuan Senior High School renewed a cooperation agreement with Tagore International School in New Delhi, marking deeper cooperation between the two schools in more areas.
In the keynote report, Ding introduced the high-level humanitarian exchange mechanisms between the two countries and the work carried out by the Center for Humanitarian Exchanges in promoting Sino-foreign educational cooperation, especially in the construction of characteristic schools. He encouraged Chinese and Indian principals to deeply exchange and learn from each other around the theme of this conference, and to jointly promote educational innovation and development. He pointed out that both China and India are ancient civilizations and major educational countries with great potential for educational cooperation. The concept of humanitarian exchange should be integrated into education to enhance students' international vision and cross-cultural literacy.
Chinese and Indian principals exchanged speeches on the implementation path of "cultivating innovative talents." Ji Hongxu, Party secretary and principal of Jinyuan Senior High School, detailed the school's selective education path; Mallika Preman, principal of Tagore International School, emphasized the importance of cultivating creativity of the students；Fang Lei, Party secretary and principal of the Second Experimental School Affiliated to Shanghai Normal University, introduced the school's systematic practice in cultivating innovative talents; Rupa Chakravarty, principal of Sun City School in Gurugram, shared the school's educational methods for cultivating innovative talents based on multiple intelligences theory; Zheng Xiaoyan, Party secretary and principal of the Pingliang Road No. 3 Primary School, showcased successful cases of cultivating children's creativity; Monica Sagar, principal of Shiv Nadar School in Gurugram, introduced the "five pillars" that support the school's development, such as accepting universal core values and carrying out professional qualification training for staff. In the interactive exchange session, the attending principals shared the gains and challenges of their schools in cultivating innovative talents, providing profound insights and valuable experience for every educator present.
Both sides unanimously agreed to shoulder the significant mission of cultivating young innovative talents. Educators should deeply recognize the urgency and importance of this mission, make stimulating students' curiosity and thirst for knowledge the core of educational work, commit to breaking the shackles of traditional thinking, and cultivate students' innovative spirit and practical abilities.
Zhou pointed out in his concluding remarks that the collision of Chinese and Indian educational wisdom and cultural integration provides a broad space for educational cooperation between the two sides. East China Normal University will continue to promote international educational exchanges and improve the quality of basic education development. He looks forward to deepening educational cooperation between China and India, creating an open and innovative environment for young people, and cultivating talents with an international vision.
At present, the world is undergoing unprecedented changes in a century, and educational development faces greater challenges, requiring educators to continuously broaden their horizons, explore models, and update concepts. This event focused on cultivating innovative talents, discussed the direction of educational development under the background of the new era, promoted cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchanges between Chinese and Indian education, fully demonstrated Chinese educational experience and Shanghai educational practice, and highlighted the effectiveness of high-quality development of Putuo education. In the future, more educators from around the world are expected to gather in Putuo to exchange wisdom and jointly explore the future development of education.
The Indian primary and secondary school principal delegation, invited by the Center for Humanitarian Exchanges of the Ministry of Education, visited primary and secondary schools in Beijing, Chongqing, and Shanghai during their 9-day visit to China. On the morning of September 25, the delegation visited Jinyuan Senior High School and its affiliated school, experienced art courses such as soft pottery, chorus, and dance, watched student performances of Indian dance and yoga, and conducted in-depth classroom observation and evaluation activities. The Indian principals had an up-close experience of the style of Shanghai education and gained a deeper understanding of its diverse development.
