Yunnan province, in southwest China, has set its sights on establishing its first Ministry of Education (MoE)-approved joint education institute (JEI) by 2025.

This ambitious project is a significant component of the Three-Year Action Plan for High-Quality Development of Education, which the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Yunnan Provincial Government announced in May 2023.

Source: https://www.yn.gov.cn/zwgk/zcwj/swwj/202305/t20230524_259487.html

What this means for the UK sector

Yunnan, which borders Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar, hopes to establish itself as a key educational hub for Southeast Asia. At the provincial level, Yunnan has 38 joint education programmes (JEPs*), including six with UK higher education institutions. However, it is the only province in southwest China that has no MoE-approved JEIs with any foreign country, lagging behind its peers, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou.

The successful establishment of an MoE-approved JEI in Yunnan will bring significant opportunities for educational collaborations with foreign higher education providers and further aligns with the MoE's strategic emphasis on strengthening higher education in the central and western regions. However, potential barriers include low regional purchasing power and language proficiency. The long-term success of such an institutional partnership will be largely dependent on the ability to adapt to local market conditions and the ability to establish strong relationships with local stakeholders.

According to the Yunnan Provincial Department of Education, the Yunnan government is currently organising a delegation visit to the United Kingdom in September or October 2023 for the purpose of establishing partnerships and exploring opportunities for collaboration between Yunnan and UK higher education institutions.

*Joint education institutes (JEIs) are physical institutions established either with full legal status, or without legal person status (with the Chinese host institution entering into legal agreements on their behalf). Joint education programmes (JEPs) are collaborative programmes that enable educational cooperation between Chinese and foreign providers without establishing new institutions.

References:

https://education-services.britishcouncil.org/news/opportunities/opportunity-partner-6-universities-and-colleges-yunnan-province?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily%20digest&utm_content=news%3A%20Opportunities

https://internationaleducation.gov.au/News/Latest-News/Pages/CHINA%E2%80%93Approvals-processes-for-Sino-Foreign-Joint-institutions-and-Joint-programs.aspx