Moscow, Russian Federation, 18-21 April 2018 – UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) was invited to participate in the Moscow International Education Fair 2018 (MIEF 2018) which attracted more than 400 active exhibitors. On the first two days of  MIEF, a ministerial forum was held, focusing on the role of technologies in the modernization of the educational process and the professional development of teachers. Dr. Yuchi Zhao, the administration officer of INRULED, made a presentation in the Forum, discussing ICT and OER’s impact on promoting equitable and quality rural education in China.

Assembled in Moscow, succeeded to the previous four MIEFs, the Fair this year was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation, Russian National Commissions for UNESCO and many other partners. INRULED was invited to participate in the Fair by introducing the center's overview and major achievements in recent years, as well as distributing the center's publications to the visitors.

During the MIEF, UNESCO International Institute for Information Technologies in Education, in collaboration with Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation, co-organized a Ministerial Forum  themed on “Global Dialogue on ICT and Education Innovation – Towards Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG 4)”. The forum was inaugurated by Ms. Olga Vasilyeva, Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and participated by the Ministers of Education or high-level officials of the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, Burundi, Palestine, Iran and other UNESCO member states. During the Forum, Dr. Yuchi Zhao, the administration officer of INRULED, in his presentation introduced China’s experience in enhancing equitable and quality rural education by harnessing ICT and OER, contextualizing an overall picture of China’s rural development. Dr. Yuchi Zhao also gave a brief introduction on INRULED’s work in the fields of skills development for rural transformation, quality teachers for rural schools, gender equality and women leadership, ICT in education for rural development, as well as ecological civilization and rural development.

“For the fifth time the MIEF gathers leading educational projects and practices, giving everyone an opportunity to find their own further educational path. Changes in the economy and society dictate the pace of development and education, and the Fair is a mirror of such changes,” said Ms. Olga Vasilyeva, Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. On the first day alone, the Fair was visited by more than 14 thousand people. More than 75 thousand people watched the event via online streaming. More than 400 companies were exhibiting at the MIEF 2018.