Minister McHugh Witnesses Signings of MoUs between Irish and Chinese Higher Education Institutions in Beijing
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The Minister for Education and Skills, Joe McHugh TD, today (Monday March 18th) witnessed the signing of a number of Memorandums of Understanding between Irish higher education institutions and Chinese education partners during his trip to China as part of the government’s programme of St Patrick’s Day visits.
The signings which took place in Beijing, aim to further the relationship between the higher education Institutions in Ireland and China and offer the chance for students in the eight institutions to visit both countries as part of their studies.
The first of the signings involves Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Chengdu Neusoft University. This MoU will cover two strategically significant new developments including the announcement of new Pathway programmes in Computing, Design/Digital Arts and Business Management/Marketing. There will also be potential for further cooperation opportunities between the two higher education institutes and also the local government in both areas. Paul Hannigan, President of LYIT was in attendance at the signing.
IT Carlow and Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economics signed a Memorandum of Understanding to announce a joint institution between the two partners. The joint institution will have four degrees and the first intake for the new institution is planned for 2020, with each programme recruiting 100-150 students. Declan Doyle, VP of Development & Research at IT carlow was present at the announcement.
University College Cork and Minzu University of China also announced approval of a dual degree programme in Environmental Science. The agreement will allow for cross-institutional research cooperation in Environmental Science. Professor Patrick O’Shea, UCC President was on hand to witness the signing.
Dublin Business School and Anhui University of Science and Technology also signed an agreement to explore academic collaboration, credit transfer, student and staff exchange.
Minister McHugh said:
“I am delighted to preside over the signings and announcement in Beijing today. These institutions serve as particularly important examples of education cooperation between our two countries and we hope students studying in these programmes take advantage of the opportunity to visit Ireland as part of their studies."
“I’d like to congratulate the teams on both sides who made these announcements possible today, your combined efforts are a great reflection of the good relations between our two countries over the last 40 years.”
Giles O’Neill, Head of Education in Ireland, which is responsible for the promotion of Irish higher education institutions overseas, added:
“This type of institutional collaboration is the cornerstone of transnational education, something that both China and Ireland value greatly.”
ENDS