Mah Hang Soon, Malaysia's former deputy minister of education, visits the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education. [Photo/Yangtze Evening News]

A delegation led by Malaysia's former deputy minister of education, Mah Hang Soon, visited the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education on Nov 14 and met with Yang Shubing, the department's deputy director.

During the meeting, Yang highlighted Jiangsu's leading role in educational openness, noting that the province has become one of the most sought-after regions for international students, and Malaysia is an important source of students studying in Jiangsu.

Yang emphasized the need to promote comprehensive cooperation between schools in Jiangsu and Malaysia in terms of talent cultivation, technological innovation, and student and teacher exchanges.

Mah, who is also president of the Malaysia Education Exchange Association, affirmed his commitment to fostering deeper exchanges in education, culture, and technological innovation between Malaysia and Jiangsu.

The Jiangsu Education Services for International Exchange and the Malaysia Education Exchange Association sign a memorandum of cooperation. [Photo/Yangtze Evening News]

During the visit, the Jiangsu Education Services for International Exchange and the Malaysia Education Exchange Association signed a memorandum of cooperation, which stated that the two parties will invite each other to attend various professional projects and conferences, organize diverse educational activities, recommend high-quality higher education resources to each other, and promote the establishment of sister school relationships between primary, middle, and high schools in Jiangsu and Malaysia.

For the 2022-23 academic year, Jiangsu welcomed 912 students from Malaysia. Currently, there are six collaborative educational programs between Jiangsu and Malaysian universities, with four Jiangsu universities offering educational programs or institutions in Malaysia.

Additionally, Jiangsu's primary and secondary schools are actively engaged in exchange programs with Malaysian schools. In the summer of 2023, 144 teachers and students from Jiangsu visited Malaysia, enhancing mutual understanding among Chinese and Malaysian youth.