Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association(SNAEIA)

SNAEIA[2021] No. 1

Proposal on the Construction of Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association

Dear member unit:

In order to promote the connotative development of the internationalization construction, to serve the improvement of the internationalization work level of Chinese and foreign universities, and to build a collaboration platform for the new opportunities of international cooperation and exchanges in education in the new era, experts in the field of higher education from China and North African countries, heads of institutions, education and cultural institutions and enterprises from various countries jointly launched this initiative and established the Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association, hereinafter referred to as the association.

I.Initiative Background

The launch of this initiative and the establishment of the association aim to carry out international education and scientific research cooperation in priority areas for universities and colleges and well-known enterprises in China and North Africa, establish a friendly relationship of interconnection and carry out substantive cooperation. To help improve the level of cooperation between Chinese and North African institutions of higher learning, well-known enterprises, and international educational and scientific research institutions, enhance mutual cultural understanding between Chinese and African peoples, and build an international education community between China and North Africa. We will actively carry out international educational exchanges and scientific and technological cooperation with universities, institutes and well-known enterprises in countries along the "Belt and Road", and make unremitting efforts to promote the joint construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

We believe that Sino-Africa educational exchanges and cooperation are not only an important aspect of China's international educational exchanges and cooperation, but also an indispensable and important part of China's foreign relations, especially its diplomatic relations with Africa. Educational cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and Arab countries have deep historical roots and a solid political foundation. The holding of the fifth China-Arab States Expo in 2021 has further strengthened the confidence of China and Arab countries to work together to build a China-Arab community with a shared future for the new era. Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and other countries in North Africa are all important Arab countries along the “Belt and Road” and have long maintained positive relations and a broad development prospects with China under the cooperation frameworks of the “Forum on China-Africa Cooperation”, “China-Arab States Cooperation Forum” and the “Belt and Road”.

We believe that Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and other North African countries have the highest educational level among African countries, and have a long history of cooperation with China in the field of education and culture. Since 1976, China and Tunisia have provided several scholarships to each other and exchanged students. Morocco also sent outstanding students to China in 1978. In 1998, the Tunisian Institute of Higher Languages opened a Chinese undergraduate program. In 2003, some middle schools in Tunisia offered Chinese elective courses. After the "Forum on China-Africa Cooperation" in 2018, the governments of North African countries have also paid more attention to cooperation with our country in various fields. Pragmatic international cooperation between China and Africa in the field of education is an important part of China-Africa friendly exchanges. Educational exchanges and cooperation between China and Africa will help tighten the cultural ties, strengthen cultural exchanges, and enhance the friendship between the Chinese and African peoples.

II. Association Goals

The association will be committed to serving China and North Africa towards a more open, comprehensive, inclusive, balanced, and win-win direction, and in accordance with the principles of equality, voluntariness, cooperation, and development to promote multi-party practical international education cooperation and seek common development; Explore the innovation of Chinese and foreign international talent training models, and jointly promote Chinese and foreign inter-university cooperation, academic exchanges and scientific and technological cooperation.

The association will be committed to playing the role of a bridge and link with relevant Chinese and foreign institutions and enterprises, strengthening the service capabilities for institutions and enterprises, giving full play to unique advantages, promoting resource sharing, strengthening collaborative innovation, as well as promoting personnel training. Meanwhile, the Association will improve the level of international scientific research cooperation, promote cross-cultural communication and understanding, boost the effective flow of various resources such as personnel, knowledge, and technology among universities.

The association will be committed to disseminating Chinese history and culture, carrying out various forms of international Chinese education, cultivating high-quality international talents, improving the level of international exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign universities, serving the transformation and upgrading of the national economic structure, promoting people-to-people bonds, cross-border industry-university-research cooperation, and improving the university's international connotation and international reputation.

The association will be committed to bringing together effective resources from China and North African countries, building an international education and industrial cooperation platform, implementing resource sharing, achieving common development. Efforts will be done to realize the effective connection between the training and delivery of skilled talents, truly contribute to the smooth development of school-enterprise cooperation and work-study integration, and achieve "respect for equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation".

III. Organizational structure

• The association implements a council system, with a Standing Council and a Secretariat under the Council of the Association.

• The Council of the association is the highest decision-making body of the Association, which is composed of member units of the Council, and the heads of member units are members of the Council.

• The Association Secretariat is the permanent office of the Council.

• Association member units include: domestic and foreign institutions of higher learning, domestic and foreign educational institutions, domestic and foreign scientific research institutions, Chinese and foreign enterprises, etc.

• The members of the association carry out activities within the framework of laws and regulations of various countries in accordance with the "Regulation of the Sino-North Africa Education Innovation Association".

IV. Main Functions

Build an exchange and cooperation platform for association member units. Encourage member units to share resources, realize interconnection and complement each other's advantages, deepen cooperation in personnel training, realize overseas education and integration of production and education. Actively support various Chinese promotion activities and international Chinese education exchanges.

Encourage teachers in the association to carry out teaching and scientific research, and jointly apply for third-party scientific research projects. Strengthen the flow of academic personnel, administrative personnel, and professional and technical personnel of each member unit within the association, and carry out activities such as student training, academic seminars, and management experience exchanges.

Establish a student exchange mechanism within the association, formulate corresponding rules, promote students' exchange and learning within the association, and realize mutual recognition of students' credits and academic achievements. Regularly hold competitions in various professional fields to stimulate the innovative consciousness of students and teachers in China and North Africa, and learn from each other.

Comply with the "going out" strategy of Chinese and African enterprises, actively assist association enterprises to provide consulting and training services. Create a distinctive brand, continuously enrich the form and content of cooperation, expand the breadth and depth of exchanges, and make the association an interactive platform for deepening bilateral or multilateral relations.

Regularly organize association member conferences to enhance the international influence of member units.

V. Operation Mode

• Regularly hold association member meetings and determine the main tasks of the year.

• Determine the main theme of the association's annual activities, and regularly organize academic, technological, cultural, sports, art and other exchange activities with the participation of association member units.

• Build a resource sharing platform for association member units, establish an information base and think tank for the internationalization of education within the association, and realize regular exchanges and mutual visits between members of the association.

• Actively explore and promote the innovation of international talent training models, implement joint training at all levels, credit exchange, and mutual recognition of academic qualifications, and strive to establish international education certification system standards within the Association.

• For the enterprise member units in the association, give full play to the professional characteristics and advantages of bilateral or multilateral colleges and universities to provide training and consulting services for enterprise member units on a regular basis.

• Carry out various forms of cultural exchange activities for Chinese and foreign students, such as winter and summer vacation visits, credit mutual recognition exchange programs within a semester, cultural and artistic exchanges between Chinese and foreign student associations, etc.

• Set up and carry out national (regional) cultural project research within the member units of the association, hold academic seminars in different academic fields and different themes and other activities.

VI. Condition Guarantee

• Actively apply for relevant policies and financial support from the governments of China and North African countries.

• Increase the publicity of various exchange activities between association member units.

• Actively allocate corresponding human resources and office conditions according to the needs of the association work.

• Establish Chinese and foreign outstanding youth scholarships within the association to fund outstanding students from China and North Africa to participate in the promotion of association-related projects.

  
  

Hereby propose.

May 30th 2021