Representatives of Gyeonggi Province met with officials from the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) of British Columbia (BC), Canada, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Complex on April 9 to explore ways in which to revitalize international education cooperation between the two regions.

BCCIE promotes the curriculum of BC educational institutions around the world and works with the BC government to host various events and activities related to international education.

The Gyeonggi representatives discussed various educational programs of the Gyeonggi Future Education Paju Campus, including visits by BC students, as well as various educational cooperation measures for students in the province, including student exchanges and visits to institutions, aimed at the future promotion of the Gyeonggi Youth Ladder Program in Canada.

On the day of their visit, BCCIE officials proposed exchange and cooperation projects such as participation in the BC International Education Conference in June and joining the University Mobility in Asia-Pacific (UMAP) project in Gyeonggi Province.

“Today’s discussion is part of the Action Plan signed between Gyeonggi Province and British Columbia last May, and we will continue to discuss joint proposals through the formation and operation of inter-institutional working groups. We hope that this meeting will further deepen the understanding and friendship between the two regions,” said Park Keon-Kyun, Director General of the Continuing Education Office of Gyeonggi Province.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to build on the sisterhood we established in 2008,” said Randall Martin, BCCIE Executive Director. “We look forward to discussing the many ways in which we can strengthen educational cooperation between Gyeonggi and BC to better serve students in both countries.”

Since signing their sisterhood agreement in 2008, Gyeonggi Province and BC have signed four action plans for cooperation in the fields of economy, education, culture, disaster prevention and safety, and climate change mitigation. They have actively engaged in exchanges through such initiatives such as the dispatch of Gyeonggi government officials to BC, participation in partnership events, and the signing of policy exchange agreements in the field of transportation.