In today’s talking points: CFCG takes significant stake in Australian Childcare Provider and forges new opportunities; DFAT Grant for Mental Health Education training program in Nanning, Guangxi set for success; New South Wales HSC syllabus gets overhaul with more complex topics; Founder of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma’s next ventures into education.
CFCG takes significant stake in Australian Childcare Provider and forges new opportunities
Earlier this week G8 Education Limited (‘G8’), Australian’s largest ASX listed children’s education provider, announced news that a recent share purchase has placed them in good stead to not only pay down a substantial value of debt accrued in late 2016, but also for future capital raising opportunities. A $213 million stake in the children’s education provider was entered into by CFCG Investment Partners International (Australia) Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the China First Capital Group Limited. The fundraising deal comes as good news as G8 reported a drop in annual net profit due to the high costs related to its expansion across Australia and Singapore. Managing Director Gary Carroll noted that there may be potential to collaborate with CFC in the childcare and early education market in China.
Read more at The Australia
DFAT Grant for Mental Health Education training program in Nanning, Guangxi set for success
In a collaborative project between the University of Technology Sydney and the Guangxi Medical University in Nanning, Guangxi, a Mental Health Education training program aims to enhance the knowledge of various levels of educators in China to address adolescent mental health and well-being in education environments. The training program was developed in Australia but will be implemented by the Mental Health Association Hong Kong, an accredited body that is qualified to educate in the deliverance of the Mental Health First Aid Program. With the DFAT funding over 250 educators and health professionals will be trained, with the official opening ceremony and press release detailing the exact program set for early March 2017. The program promises to provide a newly-found dialogue about mental health in Chinese education.
Read more at Australian Government
New South Wales HSC syllabus gets overhaul with more complex topics
The New South Wales Higher School Certificate syllabus has been given a radical adjustment for the first time in 16 years, with a renewed focus on “rigour, thoroughness and depth” in classic learning areas and major changes in year 12 science and history teaching. More complex topics will be introduced to help prepare students for uni. The new syllabus is a moved from a “social context” approach to particularly in science academia. And also there is a major adjustment to the physics syllabus, which is focus on the science of physics and its mathematical bases. The English and history syllabuses have also been overhauled. Removal of ‘context’ also applied to English and history. For English, it will be mainly focus on text, language, writing and vocabulary; for history, the syllabus has been amended to incorporate an “overarching narrative” about the development of modern liberalism and modern democracies.
Read more at ABC
Founder of Alibaba Group, Jack Ma’s next ventures into education
Jack Ma of the Alibaba Group has his eyes set on improving China’s education system. The founder of e-commerce giant has set up a private bilingual school named Yungu in a district in Hang Zhou.
Ma himself, had spent seven years teaching English at Hangzhou Dianzi University. The new school spans preschool through to senior years of high school and will attempt to target issues in current Chinese schooling such as cramped classrooms and a strong emphasis on rote learning With a capacity for the enrollment of 3,000 students, the school will also aim to maximise student learning by class to student ratio, averaging one teacher per five students. The private education market has seen rapid growth as disposable incomes of families have grown. In 2015, a figure of overall investment in education was at 15.9 billion Chinese yuan, doubling the 2014 figure of 6.1 billion yuan. International schools or using international curriculum has become increasingly popular among middle class parents in China. According to Industrial Securities Co. Ltd, the market for international schools was estimated to be over 78 billion yuan and predicted to grow 8%-15% in several years.
Read more at Caixin