HCM City University of Technology, part of Việt Nam National University HCM City, and New Zealand’s University of Auckland sign a partnership agreement on November 15. Photo courtesy of Education New Zealand

HCM CITY — Many educational activities that took place within the framework of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Việt Nam from November 14-17 reaffirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation in education between the two countries, according to Education New Zealand, New Zealand’s government agency for international education.

On November 14th, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Ardern witnessed the re-signing of the Education Cooperation Agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Accordingly, the two sides will continue to make efforts to strengthen, promote and develop cooperation in education on the basis of mutual benefits and expand cooperation fields, from preschool education and higher education to national training frameworks and English language training.

The seminar “Promoting educational cooperation between Việt Nam and New Zealand in the new context” was held on November 15 with the participation of Deputy Minister Nguyễn Văn Phúc and Grant McPherson, Chief Executive Officer of Education New Zealand, together with the New Zealand education delegation.

At the seminar, representatives of the two countries exchanged many experiences in the field of education and training, including institutional autonomy, enhancing the impact of Việt Nam's and New Zealand’s government scholarships, and investment and collaboration in international education.

HCM City University of Technology, part of Việt Nam National University HCM City, and New Zealand’s University of Auckland signed a partnership agreement to deploy joint training programs for students and learners of the University of Technology's Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering during the event.

The Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship is a postgraduate training scholarship, including PhD programme, available for Vietnamese students. As of 2020, 350 Vietnamese students have been awarded this scholarship.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia (PMSA) is an initiative that provides opportunities for New Zealand students to study and do internships in Asian countries.

As of 2019, 143 students have studied or practised in Việt Nam through PMSA scholarships.

As many as 29 students have won PMSA scholarships for study and internship programmes in Việt Nam this year.

A special event for New Zealand alumni was held in HCM City on November 16 with an aim to strengthen connections with the alumni community in Việt Nam and recognise their support and contributions to the country.

At the event, Prime Minister Ardern announced the launch of the ‘I AM NEW’ digital badge, which is dedicated to New Zealand alumni in Việt Nam.

With this innovative badge, the alumni can change their avatar on social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to show their pride, and strengthen the bond within the community of New Zealand alumni.

Last year, Việt Nam was the fourth largest group of international students studying at New Zealand schools. Around half of Vietnamese students were enrolled in universities. —VNS