Recently, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Publishing Committee of the Publishers Association of China announced the results of its fourth session, which showcased a collection of 82 typical cases, recognised 10 international leading talent, and selected 23 international talent for cooperative public projects under the BRI framework.
Among the highlighted initiatives, the “Sino-Zambia Specialised Courses” textbook series, submitted by the Publishing & Media Group of the Open University of China (OUC), was distinguished as a typical case within the Cooperative Publishing Projects of the BRI, specifically in the “International Planning and Contribution Soliciting” category. Notably, this marks the second accolade for the OUC Publishing & Media Group, following their success with the "Chinese for Industries" series.
List of the typical cases of cooperative publishing projects in BRI( “International Planning and Contribution Soliciting” category)
The Sino-Zambia Vocational College of Science and Technology stands as a cornerstone achievement of the "vocational education going global" initiative, led by the Ministry of Education. It also marks the first instance of Chinese vocational institutions independently establishing a higher vocational college abroad to provide degree-level education. Initially confronted with challenges like undeveloped teaching infrastructure and limited resources, the "Sino-Zambia Specialised Courses" textbook series was conceived with the conditions of overseas vocational colleges in mind. The series was meticulously developed through targeted investigative research to fulfill the specific technical talent and career development needs within Zambia.
In alignment with the college's talent cultivation strategy and the programme's developmental objectives, a team of esteemed double-qualified teachers was assembled to compile these textbooks. The material balances the need for commonly used vocabulary and technical content while maintaining straightforward and comprehensible English, embodying both technical relevance and instructional utility. To address the shortfall in teaching personnel and practical training facilities, the textbooks are complemented by a suite of digital resources, predominantly micro-courses, enhancing the educational experience and resources available.
The "Sino-Zambia Specialised Courses" textbook series have effectively met the teaching needs of overseas vocational institutions. These textbooks provide a wealth of resources for cultivating talent and offer additional support for specialised teaching activities in the realm of overseas vocational education, further expanding the talent development model that integrates industry with education. On one hand, the series enables Chinese vocational institutions to share their well-established experience in vocational education and a unique talent cultivation model marked by the integration of industry and education, school-enterprise cooperation, and a blend of work and study, with countries and regions along the Belt and Road (B&R) route. On the other hand, the series also stands as a success story in the publishing industry, inspiring more entities involved in the "going global" initiative to advance international cooperation and development in teaching resources.
The "Sino-Zambia Specialised Courses" textbook series, which has published over ten titles to date, has received notable recognition. Some of these books have been chosen as nationally designated textbooks in vocational education throughout China's 13th and 14th Five-Year Plan periods. Of particular note is the 17th May 2021 book donation ceremony, where Beijing Polytechnic College presented these textbooks to the Sino-Zambia Vocational College of Science and Technology. At the event, Geoffrey Banda, the minister counselor of the Zambian Embassy in China, expressed the Zambian government's pride in the cooperation between the two institutions. He expressed hopes that the donated materials would foster academic and cultural exchanges among teachers and students, thereby strengthening the "people-to-people bond" and enhancing the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
The BRI Publishing Committee of the Publishers Association of China was established in December 2019. Its goal is to foster cooperation between the Chinese publishing industry and its counterparts in the countries and regions along the B&R route. It also aims to facilitate the development and implementation of Sino-foreign cooperative publishing projects.
By OUC Publishing and Media Group