To strengthen the English Education and enhance the training quality of English teachers in China, Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI), Bell Educational Trust (Bell) and New Oriental Education and Technology Group (New Oriental) signed a tripartite agreement on 14 November at MPI. The agreement was signed by Professor Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI, on behalf of MPI, Mr. Greg Hoile, Chief Executive of Bell Educational Services Ltd., on behalf of Bell, and Mr. Zhou Chenggang, Chief Executive Officer of New Oriental Education and Technology Group, on behalf of New Oriental.

During the ceremony Professor Lei noted that the agreement aims to provide professional teacher training development courses to the teaching staff of New Oriental. MPI as an institution of higher learning, Bell as a long-standing global provider of services in English Language Teaching, teacher-training and language testing, and New Oriental as the leading provider of language training and test preparation course in China, shared the common goals of dedication to excellence in education, professionalism in teacher development, and the promotion of English language teaching and learning. MPI is committed to the policy initiative of the internationalization of education, in which knowledge of the English language plays a vital part. The signing of the agreement is one of the driving forces of MPI’s vision of commitment to serving Macao and China.

The Chief Executive of Bell Educational Services Ltd., Mr. Greg Hoile expressed that Bell has a long tradition in working in partnership to bring about improvements in education and teacher education in the region. Since 2003, MPI-Bell has been delivering a wide range of courses for language learners and teachers of English. Now, the organization has reached another significant landmark. New Oriental, with its large numbers of prestigious language training institutes, will draw on the resources of MPI and Bell to provide its teachers with bespoke professional development training courses. The provision of this training will support New Oriental in achieving its own targets to serve the communities with the best teaching services.

New Oriental is the largest private educational service provider in China which provides a one-stop educational service. In September 2006, New Oriental was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming China’s first educational institution listed overseas. The Chief Executive Officer of New Oriental Education and Technology Group Mr. Zhou Chenggang, stated that the teaching quality is at the core of their business and only through constantly enhancing the competitiveness of their teachers and content can they better promote the sustainable development of New Oriental. The goal of New Oriental is not only to serve the internal teachers within the organization but to offer professional development pathways for all teachers through China. Mr. Zhou hoped that by signing this agreement, the new partnership will help to expand the horizons of their teachers and greatly improve their teaching skills.

Guests attending the signing ceremony include: Mr. Adam Ennis, Business Development Manager, Bell; Ms. Jocelyn Wang, Director for Teacher Development and Management Center, New Oriental; Mr. Matthew Clark, National Senior Manager for Teaching Training and Research in Teacher Development and Management Center, New Oriental; Ms. Tracy Gou, Senior Manager for Teacher Development in the Teacher Development and Management Center, New Oriental; Professor Marcus Im, Vice President, MPI; Dr. Chan Wai Cheong, Secretary-General, MPI; Professor Lin Zi-yu, Director of MPI-Bell; Mr. David Quartermain, Deputy Director of MPI-Bell and other teaching and administrative staff of MPI.