Charles Darwin University’s Dr Greg Shaw attended the recent annual board meeting of the International Institute of Education for Rural Development (INRULED) in Beijing.
INRULED, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sponsored training and research centre located in the People's Republic of China, engages in a range of research and training activities focusing on the application of education for rural development.
A Senior Lecturer with CDU’s School of Education, Dr Shaw said the meeting was in response to several evaluations done over the past 10 years which recommended changes to the governance of the Centre.
“Over the years, INRULED has initiated and facilitated a wide range of programs and activities focused on rural education which have direct bearing on rural development and poverty reduction with linkages to the mid-term and biennium programs of UNESCO in literacy,” he said.
“It is significant for CDU to be involved in this international activity, as it reflects our expertise in rural education,” Dr Shaw said.
“This involvement emerges from the network-building activity in China the University has engaged in over the last 10 years.”
A major change implemented as a part of the meeting was the establishment of the Governing Board. In addition to the formal activities, Dr Shaw also had the opportunity to meet with academics at Beijing Normal University, including Mr Dong Qi, Executive Vice President.
Beijing Normal University has significant programs in the application of ICT in education, particularly in rural areas, and this was an area that linked with interests of Dr Shaw in the work within the Science ICT Mathematics Education in Rural and Regional (SiMERR) Australia Research Centre (NT).
Within the next 12 months, INRULED is planning international activities in the areas of TVET for rural development and the application of ICT in education for rural development.