Fostering High—Caliber Professionals

Wang Fengjuan

Yunnan Minzu University launches an international vocational school to nurture talent for the six Lancang-Mekong countries

As the bright sunlight shone upon the China-Myanmar border town of Wanding in Ruili， Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture， Yunnan Province， on the morning of Dec. 17， 2017， a groundbreaking ceremony held here heralded the official start of construction of the Lancang-Mekong International Vocational Institute of Yunnan Minzu University （YMU）.

The first-ever institute of higher learning established under the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation （LMC） framework， the school is aimed at cultivating high-caliber applied talent to meet the demands of economic and social development of the Lancang-Mekong countries， which signifies Dehongs enhanced cultural and people-to-people cooperation within the region.

Campus on the Border

As a high-level international vocational school constructed on the national border， the Lancang-Mekong Institute is considered a breakthrough of Yunnan Province in education cooperation under the LMC framework， and is expected to contribute to the national strength of Lancang-Mekong countries and provide intelligence support for the long-term development of LMC.

With a planned area of 200，000 square meters in the Wanding Economic Development Zone in Ruili City， the school is a joint venture between the Municipal Government of Ruili and YMU. Focusing on application-oriented undergraduate education， the border campus offers junior college and undergraduate programs as well as non-degree training courses for students from all six Lancang-Mekong countries.

Taking advantage of YMUs competitive disciplines and specialties， the international school combines specialty and language learning and integrates education with industry. To cultivate applied professionals， it plans to carry out cooperation with enterprises in five priority fields， namely interconnectivity， production capacity， cross-border trade， water resources and agriculture and poverty reduction， and will set up an Economics and Management Department， a Tourism and Culture Department， an Electrical Engineering Department， a Biotechnology and Food Processing Department and an Architectural Engineering Department.

Dehong is a pivot on Yunnans opening-up to South Asia and Southeast Asia， as well as an important hub along the China-Myanmar economic corridor， said Wang Junqiang， secretary of the CPC Dehong Prefecture Committee and director of the administrative committee of Ruili National Key Experimental Zone for Development and Opening-up. In recent years， with great importance attached to the development of modern vocational education， the prefecture has deepened exchange and cooperation with Lancang-Mekong countries in the training of applied and skilled talent. Along with the construction of the Lancang-Mekong Institute， such cooperation will be further enhanced and strengthened.

Mutual Learning in Vocational Education

Yunnans exceptional geographical advantages mean tremendous potential in opening-up. As a national key experimental zone for development and opening-up located at the juncture of the China-ASEAN Economic Circle and the South Asia Economic Circle， Ruili borders Myanmar on three sides and occupies a vital position along the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor. With its foothold in Yunnan， the Lancang-Mekong Institute recruits students from both China and countries along the Mekong River including Cambodia， Laos， Myanmar， Thailand and Vietnam， aiming to provide high-quality skilled professionals suitable for the development of economic cooperation among the six nations.

The school is primarily committed to serving the economic and industrial development of the Lancang-Mekong region and promoting integrated development in education， culture and industry in the six nations. “The Lancang-Mekong Institute is set up to nurture a great number of skilled professionals， help a large number of families prosper， promote the growth of enterprises and eventually boost the economic and social progress of the six countries，” said Cao Jing， counselor at the LMC China Secretariat under the Department of Asian Affairs of Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Last September， the school recruited 120 Chinese students into two specialty programs， and international student recruitment is now underway.

Addressing the groundbreaking ceremony， Deputy Consul of the Consulate General of Laos in Kunming Phouva Samounty noted that the establishment of the institute will be conducive to promoting education cooperation between Lancang-Mekong countries and bringing opportunities to students from countries along the Mekong River to study advanced technology in China. After studying in China， the students can take their newly-acquired knowledge back to their home countries.

Consul of the Consulate General of Myanmar in Kunming U Yu Win believes that the institute will integrate different demands from the six countries with different cultures， languages and skills， allowing the countries to serve and benefit one another.

Deputy Consul-General of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming Wijayane Surapolbhichet stressed that Thailand is actively propelling reforms in vocational education， with an aim to cultivate high-quality talent for the countrys economic and social development.

YMU reportedly plans to construct an international vocational education base that consists of six facilities： a China-ASEAN Educational Training Center， a Lancang-Mekong International Vocational Institute， a Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education Alliance， a Research Institute for Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education and Industry Development， a Lancang-Mekong Business and Education Park and a Lancang-Mekong International Officials School. The Lancang-Mekong International Vocational Institute and the Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education Alliance have been included on the list of significant outcomes of the Second LMC Foreign Ministers Meeting and designated one of Yunnan Provinces 11 key educational tasks of the year 2017.

“China and Yunnan are willing to share experience in vocational and technical education with neighboring countries，” said Na Jinhua， president of YMU. “While preserving national characteristics， YMU will incorporate international teaching philosophies and approaches. The Lancang-Mekong Vocational Education Alliance has erected a new platform for extensive consultation and joint contribution， and the Lancang-Mekong Institute will operate in a way that caters to the actual needs of Yunnan and neighboring countries.”