The Premier met His Excellency Huai Jinpeng, China’s Minister for Education, to formalise an education partnership that will reportedly benefit students and teachers across Victoria and China, titled the Education Working Group.
In what is Victoria’s first 10-year Chinese strategy, the landmark Memorandum of Understanding signed between Victoria and China’s Ministry of Education will establish the Working Group, driving educational cooperation from the primary to the tertiary level.
The Working Group will meet every year to plan its agenda across schools, TAFEs and universities – from classroom exchanges and sister-school partnerships to advanced skills and international education.
Priorities will be based on those set out in a 2023 Joint Statement between Victoria and China, which included two-way exchanges between teachers and students, joint vocational programs, sharing of language and culture, supporting students with a disability, and more.
“I want us to build the best education system in the world, together. That’s my project here in China,” Allan told gathered dignitaries.
Victoria has more than 80 sister-schools in China, and in 2024, in excess of 83,000 students studied Chinese Mandarin in Victorian government schools, making it the most-studied foreign language.
International education is Victoria’s biggest services export, worth almost $16 billion a year and supporting 64,000 local jobs.
Victoria’s public universities and TAFEs have 142 different partnerships with Chinese institutions and through its China Strategy, the state aims to be the first port of call for Chinese business to innovate and invest, and the destination of choice for Chinese people to visit and study.
“Last year, I launched the Yes To International Students Fund,” Allan said in her speech.
“Today, seven of our 16 public higher-ed institutions are using it to deliver Victorian education within China.
“The Victorian Certificate of Education – our secondary school qualification – is delivered at 23 schools across 13 Chinese provinces –8000 Chinese students have graduated with it.
“Almost all of them received offers to attend an Australian university.”
In her speech, the premier also announced the re-establishment of $10,000 Hamer Scholarships for 20 people from regional Victoria to study in China.
The tertiary student program was first established by Premier Rupert Hamer and was paused in 2019 due to pandemic travel restrictions.
It has previously sent scholars to South Korea, Indonesia, Japan and China, with past recipients including scientists, engineers and educators who have gone on to global careers.
Allan said regional kids deserve a clear shot at experiencing something that will profoundly shape their lives.
The scholarships, she said, give Victorian students the life-changing opportunity of undergoing six months’ immersive study in Asia.
“Many Hamer recipients have gone on to become company founders and leading teachers. The scholarship was their edge,” Allan said.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll said through the Victoria-China Education Working Group, the state can foster deeper mutual understanding and appreciation of each other’s languages and cultures.
“Victoria looks forward to welcoming more Chinese international students while providing our own students with opportunities to learn about Chinese culture,” he said.
Minister for Skills and TAFE Gayle Tierney said the partnership will have far-reaching benefits for the state.
“This partnership will expand opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and student exchange in vocational education, helping to build a strong workforce for the future.”
Allan’s week-long visit to China was her first as premier and follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s return to the country in July and former premier Dan Andrews’ widely reported acceptance of an invitation – as a private businessman – to join President Xi and some of the world’s most controversial leaders for a military parade in Beijing.
