On the morning of July 19, the mobilization meeting for the 2021 summer internship program of UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED) was held in the fifth conference room of Jingshi Hall, Beijing Normal University. Teachers and students from Zhejiang University, Sichuan Normal University, and Northwest Normal University, leaders, chief experts, and staff attended the meeting. The Summer internship program is a six-week summer internship program (offline + online), aiming to cultivate talents for international organizations. During the practice, students and researchers will participate in course development in INRULED’s five research areas.
At first, Che Nan from the centre extended a warm welcome to all, introduced the leaders and staff of the centre, and invited the interns from various universities to introduce themselves. Then, Yao Jikun, office director of the centre, gave a detailed introduction of the centre and the arrangements for the 2021 summer internship program. Based on the centre's five research areas, Yao divided the teachers and students into five groups. In addition, further information on the summer internship program was added by other staff of the centre.
During the discussion session, Zeng Xiaodong, executive director of the centre, answered questions about the centre’s strategic considerations. Zeng encouraged students to learn by doing, conduct research across fields, and spread the Chinese experience to the world. Zhang Lili, chief expert of the centre, presented her views on course development. She pointed out that the target audience is diverse, so it is essential to think about telling our stories properly. Li Baoping, chief expert in ICT for rural education, pointed out that we could start with establishing a feasible goal and then use our professional strengths to achieve it.
At last, Yao Jikun gave a closing speech to encourage students to use their initiative and cooperate with the experts to develop the curriculum framework, hoping that everyone would benefit from the summer internship program.
