What does the Year of the Earth Pig promise for education and China-UK relations in 2019?
I went down to the UK Houses of Parliament to a Chinese New Year celebration put on by the All Party Parliamentary Group for China. The Group seeks to improve Chinese-UK relations and so does Cambridge Assessment – which is why we sponsor them.
It’s the Year of the Pig and, more specifically, the Earth Pig. Naturally, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and the Chinese Ambassador His Excellency Liu Xiaoming spent a good part of their speeches talking about Pigs symbolising happiness and good fortune. The Ambassador stressed the need to adhere to an inclusive approach and deal with differences in an objective manner.
Our Group CEO
Saul Nassé,
Janet Morris from Cambridge International and Cris Betts from Cambridge English were part of the Cambridge Assessment team. We met a number of MPs (Members of Parliament) who had visited schools in China that engage with one or the other of our international exam boards.
Apparently, Earth Pigs are communicative, popular among their friends and with a strong sense of time keeping – so 2019 bodes well for the organisation and its friends both in China and in the UK Parliament.
Bene't Steinberg
Group Director Public Affairs, Cambridge Assessment