Date: November 30th to December 1st, 2020
Location: Guangzhou, China
Host University: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
Number of Attendees: 198
Number of Participating Countries and Regions: 13
Number of Attending Universities: 46
Theme: Cooperation and Development of Asian Higher Education in the New Circumstances
Official Website: https://aupf.gdufs.edu.cn/AUPF2020.htm
Main Contents:
The 19th session of the AUPF was hosted by Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) online and offline with the theme of "Cooperation and Development of Asian Higher Education in the New Circumstances" from November 30th to December 1st, 2020. Forty-six colleges and universities from 13 countries and regions, such as Dongseo University in South Korea, Petra Christian University in Indonesia, and Daffodil International University in Bangladesh participated in the opening ceremony of the forum on ZOOM. Nearly 200 people attended the forum online and offline.
During the ceremony, the Chairman of University Board, Sui Guangjun, said, “In the new era, how to better play the role of education as a bridge is the focus of this forum and also the original intention of the forum.” Since its inception, the forum has witnessed great achievements in the development of higher education in Asia. The opening ceremony was presided over by Jiao Fangtai, Vice president of GDUFS and 14 distinguished guests delivered speeches. Dr. Shi Youqi, President of GDUFS, put forward five initiatives on integrating high-quality higher education resources and promoting the cooperative development of Asian colleges and universities.
The two-day 19th AUPF was divided into three sub-forums:
1. Online Discussion of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
This sub-forum was hosted by Dongseo University. Fourteen representatives from seven countries and regions, including China, Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and Lithuania, had a heated and in-depth discussion
2. Opportunities and Challenges Faced by Higher Education in Asia in the COVID-19 and Post-COVID-19 Era
This sub-forum was hosted by Petra Christian University in Indonesia, with participants from 17 universities in 8 countries including China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan, Lithuania, the Philippines, and Thailand.
3. Colleges and Universities in the Future: A Better World
Sub-Forum C was hosted by Daffodil International University in Bangladesh, which was divided into keynote speech and open discussion. Thirty-six representatives from 18 colleges and universities from China, Bangladesh, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, the United Kingdom and so on gathered online to engage in the active discussion on the theme.
The closing ceremony of the forum was held on the morning of December 1st via live online broadcast, which was watched by more than 1,000 people from colleges and universities across Asia. The President of GDUFS Shi Youqi proposed at the closing ceremony that Asian colleges and universities should work together in three areas. First, we should build a new model of the education community. Second, we should establish a new exchange mechanism. Third, we should innovate new paths of educational cooperation.
At the forum flag handover session subsequently, Shi Youqi handed over the flag of AUPF to Wei Xiaolin, Vice president of Zhejiang Yuexiu University which would host the next AUPF.
At this forum, Asian University Presidents Forum for the first time in the history was held online and offline, realizing cloud exchanges. For the first time, the campus video display zone was set up on the forum website, realizing cloud display. For the first time, the online signing system was developed and used, realizing cloud cooperation. This forum fully demonstrates that under the new circumstances, the cooperation, and exchanges of higher education in Asia are becoming diversified.