Under the invitation of Maoming Experimental School (Guangdong), five winners of the ¡°Asia Foreign Study Scholarship¡± paid a visit to the beautiful seaport city of Maoming. The delegation was honored by the presence of Mrs. W. A. T. Gunatillake, the Ministerial Counselor from the Sri Lanka Embassy, and Mr. Bai Songlai, the director from the China Scholarship Council as well as programs officers from the Education Forum for Asia (EFA). The visit¡¯s goal was to enhance and develop cooperation between EFA and its partner schools, improve foreign language ability of students in partner schools as well as further multi-level exchanges among students.

On arrival the delegation received a warm welcome from the School¡¯s Principal, Mr. He Shixin, and Mr. Pan Yan, the deputy Principal.

The official event was carried out on March 23rd in the School¡¯s main campus. Upon the opening ceremony, the vice-mayor of Maoming City, Mr. Chen Hai delivered the welcoming speech to all the members of the delegation, he particularly emphasized that this visit was of special importance for the city¡¯s basic education agenda, highlighting the internationalization of the city¡¯s education profile within the region; Mr. Zeng Tianwen, the deputy director of the local Education Bureau expressed his wish that by holding such an event, commitment to the next generation of internalized talents can be properly achieved.

In the speech that followed, Mr. Bai Songlai addressed the significance of such programs and its similarity to the EFA¡¯s aim to introduce unique and outstanding educational resources to key area¡¯s underpinned by necessity and demand. At the same time, these programs give just the opportunity for these schools to catch up with modern trends, given the fact that internalization and globalization is ever present and increasing.

Speaking from a different perspective, Mrs. W. A. T. Gunatillake addressed previous and present educational exchanges between China and Sri Lanka and the benefits that it induced in both countries. Mrs. Gunatillake believes that the students will benefit from the visit; resulting in an open window for them to pursue broader personal development.

After the cheers of students subsided, five winners of the Asia Foreign Study Scholarship talked about their experiences in China ranging from the awarding of such a scholarship, studying, to their daily lives. [The five winners are Tsin Gu Shan (from Uzbekistan, studying in Beijing Language University), Sarah Nasir (from Pakistan, studying in Capital Normal University), Kim Hyun Jung (from Korea, studying in Beijing Film Academy), Yakhyarov Timur (from Kazakhstan, studying in Beijing Language University) and Domingo Llana Leah (from Philippines, studying in Beijing Language School)].

During the workshop with students from the School¡¯s International Class, Mr. Bai answered questions raised by students on how to prepare for study in foreign countries. By giving many details/examples about what foreign students have experienced the audience of students gained a deeper appreciation of these five winners¡¯ lives and study in China.

After the workshop, Mrs. Gunatillake, Mr. Bai and the rest watched the show of the ¡°Asian University Students¡¯ Photo Competition¡± (some items), and took photos with the School management staff and students.

In the afternoon, the campus was full of happiness: all the visiting guests and School staff joined the students dancing session. In such a wonderful atmosphere nothing is more than one word: it is the well-educated students that are a country¡¯s hope and future, and it is the well-educated students that are the keepers of international peace and friendship.