NZ and Viet Nam universities celebrate partnerships

Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce has today joined representatives from the University of Waikato, Victoria University of Wellington and Auckland University of Technology (AUT) to witness the signings of their new strategic partnerships with selected Viet Nam institutions.

The new agreement between the University of Waikato and the University of Economics will see collaborative educational opportunities made available for both students and staff, including degree pathways, curriculum sharing and professional learning. The new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is the University of Waikato’s fourth formal partnership agreement with institutions in Viet Nam.

Victoria University of Wellington’s new partnership is a joint programme with Ho Chi Minh City University of Education. The arrangement involves the joint delivery of Victoria’s Master of Arts in Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages, to begin in 2016, and will be offered both in New Zealand and Viet Nam.

AUT signed two MOUs today; one with Saigon University focusing on education discipline, as well as a new collaboration with the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in the areas of language and culture, hospitality and tourism, and social policy.

“The new partnerships represent significant milestones in our education relationship with Viet Nam. These agreements will deepen the level of engagement between our two countries and enrich our students’ learning,” says Mr Joyce.

“Partnerships and internationalisation are two things that are very important to New Zealand as a country, and to our tertiary education system. To prosper both economically and as a 21st century nation we rely on global partnerships and the international exchange of ideas.”

“International education gives students the opportunity to learn the nuances of studying, working and doing business in different countries and with people of different cultures. Students need to be exposed to international thinking and the new ideas that collaborative partnerships and academic exchanges bring to our classrooms. This exposure and experience is vital for our graduates to succeed in the increasingly globalised world we live in.”

The new institutional partnerships form part of the New Zealand - Viet Nam Strategic Engagement Plan on Education signed by Mr Joyce in Viet Nam earlier this week, designed to deliver economic, social and cultural benefits to both countries.

The Official Signing Ceremony for the New Zealand - Viet Nam Strategic Engagement Plan on Education took place in Ha Noi on 15 November and was witnessed by Prime Minister John Key alongside Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng.