To implement the strategies proposed by the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, to lead the high-quality development of China’s foreign language education, comprehensively improve the quality of independent training of foreign language talents, strengthen the knowledge system of foreign language education, and promote the new role and contribution of foreign language education in the construction of a stronger nation, Beijing Foreign Studies University, the Foreign Language and Literature Teaching Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Institutions, the College Foreign Language Teaching Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Education for Higher Education Institutions, and the Foreign Language Teaching Research Branch of the Chinese Society for Higher Education jointly held the 8th National High-end Forum on Foreign Language Education Reform and Development in Higher Education Institutions in Beijing on March 23-24, 2024. Over 2,000 experts and scholars in the field of foreign language education in higher education institutions gathered in Beijing, and over 200,000 foreign language teachers participated in the conference online, discussing the new mission of higher foreign language education reform and plotting the path of higher foreign language education to serve the construction of a stronger nation. Our dean Liu Qin, vice dean Zhang Le, director of the English (Sino-US Joint Program) department Huang Fang, and deputy director of the College English Teaching and Research Center Chen Zheng attended the conference.
The theme of this forum is 'What Is the Role of Foreign Languages in Building a Stronger Nation.' Currently, as the world undergoes unprecedented changes, China is actively promoting the construction of a stronger nation and participating in global governance.Higher foreign language education bears the historical mission of cultivating a large number of high multi-quality talents with national sentiments, global vision, and professional skills. It is committed to nurturing students with the spirit of socialism with Chinese characteristics, actively adapting to changes, exploring innovative paths for high-quality development of higher foreign language education, and providing strong foreign language talent support for the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern country and the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The forum is divided into three parts: keynote speech, specific theme forums, and the Education and Instruction Committee forum. The keynote speeches focus on important topics such as the construction of the foreign language education system, the construction of foreign language disciplines, the cultivation of international communication talents, the digital transformation of foreign language education, and the improvement of teachers' digital literacy, with a higher historical standpoint to comprehensively plan and guide the development of higher foreign language education in serving the construction of a stronger nation. The specific theme forums focus on important topics such as artificial intelligence and the construction of foreign language disciplines, college English education, English majors and multilingual education, 'understanding contemporary China' courses and competitions, new forms of textbooks, and teachers' digital literacy. The Education and Instruction Committee forum focuses on the major strategic needs of the Party and the country, analyzes the macro-situation of the development of higher foreign language education, promotes higher foreign language education to meet challenges and seize opportunities, and strives to improve the quality of independent training of foreign language talents. Liu Qin was invited to preside over the textbook forum, and together with the participating foreign language experts and colleagues, they discussed the editing and use of new forms of foreign language textbooks, actively exchanged the editing practice and ideological and political integration in the textbooks, and explored new paths for diversified foreign language talent training, and the digital transformation and integration innovation of foreign language education. Professor Liu’s speech was highly praised by the forum experts and colleagues.
This forum aims to promote the high-quality development of higher foreign language education, serves the cause of building a stronger nation, and consolidates the foundation of national prosperity through education, which is the shared mission of foreign language education in the new era. Our college will further deepen the reform of foreign language teaching and strive to write a new chapter of high-quality development of higher foreign language education. Before the forum, Liu Qin and Huang Fang also participated in the 'Construction of Foreign Language Education Discipline: Talent Cultivation and Curriculum Setting' training class jointly organized by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the China Foreign Language and Education Research Center of Beijing Foreign Studies University, and the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, which will help to cultivate high-quality talents in our college.
