International Experts Convene as China POCY Group Contributes Insights to Global Education Innovation and Sustainable Development

On December 8, the "2025 International Expert Advisory Committee Meeting," organized by the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI) in Shenzhen, China, was held at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech). As a strategic partner of UNESCO, Mr. Yang Zhilin, Co-founder and Executive President of China POCY Group, was invited to attend and deliver a speech at the meeting, accompanied by Mr. Wang Teng, Manager of the Education Business Division.

The hybrid meeting gathered nearly twenty expert committee members from the UNESCO system, international organizations, universities worldwide, enterprises, and think tanks. Notable attendees included Mr. Tang Qian, Chair of the ICHEI International Expert Advisory Committee and former UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education; Mr. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in East Asia; Dr. Zhan Tao, Director of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education; Mr. Wu Zhong, Secretary-General of the South-South Cooperation Financial Centre; Prof. Jin Li, Director of ICHEI and Vice President of SUSTech; Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of ICHEI; Prof. Lam Chi-Bin, Chief Expert of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE), Chair Professor of Learning Technologies and Innovation at The Education University of Hong Kong, and Visiting Professor at SUSTech; Prof. Zhu Zhiting, Lifetime Professor at East China Normal University and Special Advisor to ICHEI; and Ms. Wang Yurong, Researcher at the National High-end Think Tank of Beijing Language and Culture University, Executive Director of the Global Frontier Science and Art Finance Research Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and International Education Advisor to ICHEI. The participants jointly reviewed the achievements of IIOE over the past six years and engaged in in-depth discussions on its future strategic planning.

Mr. Tang Qian, Chair of the ICHEI International Expert Advisory Committee and former UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, presided over the meeting.

Prof. Jin Li, Vice President of SUSTech and Director of ICHEI, delivered opening remarks. 

Ms. Bi Xiaohan, Deputy Director of ICHEI, presented a keynote report

Mr. Li Ming, Founding Director of ICHEI and Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, provided concluding remarks.

The meeting released the thematic report titled "International Institute of Online Education (IIOE): Six-Year Practice Review (2020–2025) and Future Planning." This report comprehensively reviewed IIOE’s practical achievements over the past six years, systematically outlined its pathways and experiences in building a digital higher education ecosystem through multilateral cooperation, and thoroughly evaluated its effectiveness in supporting localized faculty development and institutional capacity building across regions.

During the expert discussion session, participants offered recommendations across dimensions such as global strategic alignment, data-driven research, regional demand adaptation, future vision planning, policy linkage mechanisms, and brand culture dissemination. They also shared practical cases in areas including IIOE’s curriculum framework innovation, regional training center development, industry talent cultivation, vocational education integration, and industry-education collaboration models. Together, they charted a future blueprint for IIOE to further enhance its global influence and sustainability.

Mr. Xia Zehan (online), Director of the UNESCO East Asia Regional Office

Mr. Wu Zhong, Director-General of the South-South Cooperation Finance Center

Mr. Zhan Tao (online), Director of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE)

Mr. Sun Yanfeng (audio online), Director of the Latin American Studies Institute, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

Professor Zhu Zhiting, Tenured Professor at East China Normal University 

& Distinguished Advisory Expert to the Innovation Center

Mr. Wang Yurong, Senior Research Fellow at the National High-End Think Tank of Beijing Language and Culture University and Executive Director of the Global Frontier Science, Art and Finance Research Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Dr. Zhao Jianhua, Deputy Director of the Future Education Research Center at Southern University of Science and Technology and Senior Education Expert at the Innovation Center

Mr. Shen Xiaoli (online), Chief Cultural Officer of the Innovation Center and Chair of the Editorial Board of Cloud

Mr. Yang Zhilin emphasized in his speech that IIOE, as a vital platform for promoting global educational equity and sustainable development, holds profound significance for bridging the digital divide and facilitating the sharing of quality educational resources. He stated that POCY Group would continue to deepen its collaboration with ICHEI, jointly exploring practical pathways and development models for educational innovation in the digital era. Through diverse approaches such as co-developing high-quality courses, building intelligent online education platforms, and conducting advanced teacher training, the partnership aims to achieve resource sharing and complementary strengths, providing innovative solutions for building a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable global education system.

As a strategic partner of UNESCO, China POCY Group is fully advancing the construction and implementation of the Global Skills Academy (GSA), a flagship project under the Global Education Coalition (GEC), with a commitment to building a future-oriented vocational skills education system and helping young people worldwide enhance their employability and innovative capabilities.

The invitation to this high-level international meeting fully demonstrates China POCY Group's active participation in global educational governance and reflects the international community’s high recognition of its professionalism. Positioning educational services within the broader context of national development and global governance, China POCY Group will continue to deepen its cooperation and exchanges with the international community. Leveraging the China Craftsman Valley International Industry-Education Alliance as a bridge and the Global Skills Academy as a platform, the Group aims to deliver quality educational resources to more countries and regions, providing learners worldwide with more adaptive and innovative educational services.