A Successful and Prosperous

Relationship in Education

Thalía N. Pérez Llamas

Ministry of Education of the

State of Jalisco, México

The State of

Jalisco

Mexico China

Capital Mexico City Beijing or Pekin

Administrative

divisions 31 states and 1 federal district

23 provinces, 5 autonomous

regions, 4 municipalities and 2

special administrative regions

Area 1,964,375 sq km (14) 9,596,961 sq km (4)

Population 116,220,947 (July 2013 est.) (12) 1,349,585,838 (July 2013 est.) (1)

Mayor urban areas Mexico City - 19.319 million

Guadalajara - 5 million

Shanghai – 23.019 million

Beijing - 20.693 million

Literacy 93.5% 95.1%

GDP-per capita US$ 10,123 (2012 est.) US$ 12,442 (2012 est.)

Unemployment rate 5% (2012 est.) 6.5% (2012 est.)

1998 • Sister cities/states

2002 • First official visit to Shanghai and signing of the

agreement with SISU

2003 • Visit of SHMEC and signing of the agreement with

SEJ.

2008 • SISU and SHMEC agreements were renewed.

2011 • SISU and SHMEC agreements were renewed by

signing a Protocol.

2012

• Joint Declaration between SISU and SEJ.

General Information

Host

Institution/

Counterpart

SISU and Shanghai Foreign Language

School (SFLS), affiliated with SISU

Participant

Institutions

in Jalisco

Public and Private Educational

Institutions

Start year 2003 (Spanish), 2005 (Mandarin)

Total

participants

7 Spanish teachers, 17 Mandarin

teachers

Responsible

area in

Shanghai

SFLS and the Office of Hispanic

Philology in SISU

Responsible

area in the

Ministry of

Education

Coordination for International

Cooperation in Education – Asia &

North America International Relations

Office

Framework

Cooperation Agreement between the

Secretariat of Education of the State of

Jalisco and SISU.

Cooperation Agreement between the

Secretariat of Education of the State of

Jalisco and the Shanghai Municipal

Education Commission.

The general objective is to encourage

the exchange of teachers between

Shanghai and Jalisco to support each

other in teaching Mandarin and Spanish,

as well as promoting Mexican and

Chinese cultures as the result of its

sister state relationship.

Promote the learning of Spanish language among the

educational community of Shanghai and Mandarin language

in Jalisco;

Achieve greater closeness and understanding of Mexican and

Chinese cultures;

Increase Shanghai and Jalisco teachers´ participation in

educational and cultural programs offered by institutions in

Jalisco and Shanghai;

Support the foreign language training education of Shanghai

and Jalisco students;

Strengthen the actions for language teaching and

internationalization of education.

Roles and Responsibilities SISU SFLS SEJ Issue a statewide call of this program and disseminate information among the educational community of Jalisco x Receive and approve the applications of institutions interested in the Program x x Receive and approve the documents of the teachers interested in the Program x Provide to SEJ the pre-selected candidates participating the Program, according to its internal selection process x x Notify the SFLS of the number of teachers interested in the program, and SISU of the number of teachers requested for the program; x Send the resumes of the pre-selected candidates to institutions for the final selection process x Notify the institutions in both countries of the final teachers selected x Support teachers in securing the necessary documentation and visas x Support and coordinate the process of teachers’ admission into their new institution x x x Provide all the possible facilities to participants, for the proper performance of their activities in their sister city x x x Keep track of the participants, to monitor their performance and the operation of the Program x x x

The Selection of participants is based in the following criteria:

Persuasiveness of applicants’ explanatory statement;

Consistency between the research project and the course of

study;

Academic performance;

English proficiency;

Openness and understanding towards other cultures;

Ease of integration and adaptation into new environments and

cultures;

Sense of responsibility;

Recommendation of teachers, researchers and school officials.

For the Spanish program, teachers who specialize in

teaching Spanish as a foreign language or those with

experience in that specific area deliver Spanish lessons at

SFLS for 10 months to 1 year.

For the Mandarin program, SISU teachers who specialize

in teaching Mandarin as a foreign language teach in

educational institutions in Jalisco for 8 months to 1 year.

Greater closeness and understanding between Jalisco and

Shanghai;

Promotion of the learning of Mandarin and Spanish

languages among Jalisco’s educational community and

SFLS;

Increased participation of Jalisco’s students in graduate

programs offered by institutions in Shanghai;

Increased international educational mobility.

Inclusion of Mandarin and Spanish languages in SFLS and Jalisco

education institutions, allowing an increase in the number of students in

learning foreign languages;

Increased participation of students and teachers in educational and

cultural exchange programs;

Better acquisition of the language throughout the exposure to native

language speaking teachers;

Greater opportunities for participants of public and private institutions-

coordination of these programs is being conducted by the Ministry.

Students of Spanish and Mandarin have developed a better

understanding towards Mexican and Chinese cultures;

Students and teachers involved benefit from various

cultural exchange programs;

Wider promotion of Mandarin and Spanish languages

within Jalisco and Shanghai community;

Implementation of the programs-outstanding

communication and good response among the responsible

areas in Jalisco and Shanghai.

Design the ability to attract excellent teachers as applicants to

the program, due to external factors such as: culture shock,

leaving the family behind, switching to a new workplace

environment;

Budgetary demands, providing a salary and airfares is

challenging to institutions.

All teachers and students oriented programs are

perfectly transferable to other countries, since in today´s

world the majority of them are in favor of the

internationalization of education.

The good relation of friendship and cooperation between

the governments involved in the development of the

programs plays a major part in the transferability abroad.

Shanghai Summer Program-SISU

Shanghai International Sister Cities

Youth Camp

Shanghai International Youth and Science and

Technology Expo

2 Week´s program, with the purpose to upgrade the

educational internationalization of the city, to carry

forward China's profound history and traditional

culture, as well as to motivate the international

exchange and cooperation between international

sister cities (states, provinces) and Shanghai. (2011)

To encourage in Jalisco students the

interest for science and technology,

through creative and innovative scientific

activities.(2005)

The objective of this program is to support

and encourage students to learn and

improve a foreign language and develop

the ability to appreciate another culture.

(2010)

International Youth Interactive Friendship

Camp

Academic Cooperation Program for

Postgraduate Studies in Shanghai Universities

To promote understanding and the

values of Chinese culture. (2013)

To support the training of Jalisco

students in different academic

areas, encouraging international

educational mobility and promote

Mandarin language within Jalisco

educational community.

Both programs will be intensively promoted within the

educational communities in Jalisco and Shanghai.

Promotional materials - focus on the benefits and academic

results of the current schools participating in the programs.

Jalisco International Sister Schools Program.

Mandarin language - Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK).

Spanish language - expand the program to other

educational institutions in Shanghai.

Av. Alcalde 1351, Torre de Educación, Piso 7.

Col. Miraflores, Guadalajara, Jalisco.

C.P. 44270 Tel & fax +52 (33) 3819-2706

E-mail: thalia.perez@jalisco.gob.mx