介绍:
Belgium
Hello and welcome to Education Today. I'm Wu You in Beijing. Joining me in the studio is Farrah.
Right here always.
Let's continue the Education trip around the world. Today we take you to Belgium.
That is the very popular theme song from the very popular Belgian cartoon "The Smurfs". It has both an English version and Chinese version and for more about the Chinese students in Belgium I've talked with Mr. _________ director of the International office University of Leuven in Belgium and it is also 600 years old, one of the first universities in Europe.
" How many Chinese students are there now studying in Belgium?
In Belgium I think thousand, more or less. We're a small country.
Why do you think Chinese students should choose Belgium instead of other countries around the world?
Well first of all, Belgium is in the middle of Europe, centre the headquarters of the European community is in Brussels. So you're in the centre of Europe that's the first thing. Second thing is, we're a peaceful country and we speak a lot of different languages. As you know, Belgium is a three language country. People speak German, Dutch and French. So that means our university, the University of Leuven, has a lot of international programmes. They're all taught in English but if you're in Belgium as a Chinese student you can learn a second or a third foreign language in the meantime. So that's another challenge, it's pretty challenging but still you can come back with knowledge of three languages. I think that's a good idea.
What kind of major?
Well there are a lot of majors. Most of them choosing Engineering or management business. These are the two majors that are most chosen let's say. What I want to say also is that we welcome Chinese students for own students. We think that if our Flemish, Belgian students study together with Chinese students, make projects together, writing a thesis together, there's an extra added value for the Belgian person. Later on when they graduate and they look for a job and on their CV it's written that they have done a thesis together with a Chinese fellow student it's fantastic. It's something attractive. The enterprise or company will at least invite them for an interview. I'm not 100% sure that he will hire him or her but for sure he has something special. My idea is we need Chinese students in Europe so we can better understand how to negotiate, how to work together with Chinese people. I mean that.
So what can you offer to the Chinese students?
Well we offer the studies. The engineering, the management, business management, business economics that's what we can give them. It's a one year master or a two year master. We warmly welcome them.
So are there any latest new policies especially target Chinese students?
No. Well we have scholarships already for long especially we call it ________ . I know the ______ in China is in middle school and in primary school, but we are the only one who have it in higher education, in bachelor or master. And these students, we come to China and select them and we invite them to come over and these students are the best students. They have been dreaming about such an opportunity to go outside to Europe to study and we give that only chance".
That is _____ director of international office University of Leuven
in Belgium. Well talking about education system in Belgium, it is regulated and for the larger part financed by one of the three communities: Flemish, French and German speaking. All three communities have a unified school system with
small differences with one community to another. The federal government plays a very small role. It decides directly the age for mandatory schooling and indirectly the financing of the communities.
And education in Belgium is compulsory between the ages 6 and 18
or until one graduates from secondary school. Let's move on to the Fullbright academic exchange that's happening. Fullbright first of all, is a scholarship programme from the United States and it gives around 8,000 grants per year to US students for them to go and take up university internationally. And this year 8 out of the 12 Belgian and Luxembourg based American grantees attended an orientation in Brussels on the 18th of October. And the grantees were briefed on life and culture in Belgium and on the role and responsibilities of the commission and then following their morning activities they had lunch and they also attended a lecture on Belgian politics so it was a day full of introduction to the city that they're going to be living in. They finished the day by taking a tour in downtown Brussels.
So this Fullbright academic exchange scholarship is mainly targeting the students from which country?
Well it's from the US but I think they had on the 29th of September they had their 30th annual Brussels college night and that's basically to also get students from Belgium interested in going to the United States. Attendees were introduced to universities that were taking part just to get an idea.
And that's it for this episode of Education Today. I'm Wu You in Beijing.
And I'm Farrah.
Thank you for listening.
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