23.10.2016 Conference Registration & Welcome Banquette

Highly distuinguished educators from China and Finland were gathered to the warmth of the beautiful Beijing Normal University campus in Zhuhai (珠海) for a joint Forum on Learning and Mind, from October 23^rd to October 25^th.

The main registration day of the forum was crowned with a Welcome Banquette at the magnificent Chinese restaurant in the hotel of the venue.

The guests got a chance to enjoy the pleasent dinner and even more pleasent company of old and new acquaintances. Warm conversation filled the air and glasses were raised for the prosperity of the collaboration and the event at hand. The fatigue of the guests from the long journey to Southern China was replaced by the cheerful atmosphere.

The registration day of the forum had also some unfortunate and unexpected surprises when the airplane carrying a large part of the Finnish representatives was delayed because of a technical malfunction. Fortunately the organizers arranged the tired guests, arriving near to midnight, an abundant dinner in the downstairs restaurant to gather their strength before the next day opening ceremonies.

24.10.2016 Opening Ceremony & Forum on Learning and Mind

The opening ceremony of the forum was filled with inspiring speeches, one after another, with a translation either to English or Chinese from a booth that had been custom-made in to the international conference hall just for this event.

The climax of the opening ceremony was the unveiling ceremony of the Sino – Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute, Zhuhai – emblem.

The unveiling ceremony was followed by the keynote speeches that deepened the positive expectations for the event by underlining the possibilities in joining the two countries forces to create something meaningful in the field of education. These speeches also opened up the understanding of learning and education systems both in China and Finland.

After the keynote speeches there was some time to have a breath of the fresh Zhuhai air in the patio of the venue and mingle a bit while enjoying some tea or coffee and small snacks. The participants were enjoying the warm and clear weather so much that the grasp of time was lost and the staff members had to remind the guests about the enterprises reports that were about to start. The presence of the representatives from different enterprises was a clear sign of an interest towards the strengthtening cooperation in the field of education. The audience had a chance to hear how the corporate world may contribute and collaborate with the educational systems.

The afternoon session of the forum after the lunch was divided to four different sections according to the participants research interests:

The forums had various interesting presentations and the expectations for further dialogue were palpable.

25.10.2016 Keynote Speeches, Closing Ceremony & Committee Meeting

The second day of the forum inheld magnificent keynote speeches from the highly distinguished educators from China and Finland. The speeches described the nature and challenges of the educational environments in both countries.

The constructive conversation that took place in the afternoon committee meeting of the Sino – Finnish Joint Learning Innovation Institute had a promise for further deepening of the bilateral co-operation. It was agreed upon in the meeting that the educators of China and Finland should get together biannually, if possible. The representatives of both countries also shared the sentiment that the institute should be developed further to facilitate the collaboration more effectively.

Thank you for all the hosts and organizers, also thank you for the hardworking staff members and all of the participants for the succesful and inspiring event.