Zoey Zhou, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry

Participating in the UN conference has brought me a unique experience

Zoey Zhou Zhengzhou University of Light Industry

International Organization: Institute of Afro-European Cultures in Paris（ICAEP）

“It’s my great pleasure to be able to participate in this online conference organized by the NGO-UNESCO Higher Education Department: Reopening and reimagining universities: UNESCO’s survey dissemination event on COVID-19. The meeting lasted nearly three and a half hours. The meeting first introduced the impact of the new crown epidemic on education through a video, and was opened by Ms. S, Assistant Director-General of Education of UNESCO, and then introduced the investigation report by Ms. Yonemura, an expert on higher education projects.

Most of the time in the conference, professors, experts, and scholars from various countries (regions) discuss and report on some topics based on their own views. The main topics are: changes in the model of “teaching” and “learning”, severely struck on international mobility, interruption of global research and promotion activities, and increase in education inequality between regions. The wish of this conference is that participants of the conference can understand the key issues revealed by the survey, including the response of UNESCO member states to the new crown epidemic and the impact of their respective higher education systems, as well as the differences between different countries. This can find a suitable way for the global higher education system to evolve in the era of the new crown epidemic, and provide relevant policy references for other countries.

In this conference, I have heard the ideas of experts, professors, scholars and outstanding young people from all over the world, and benefited a lot. Indeed, in the face of the menacing epidemic, we, as a new generation of youth, should actively respond to changes, grow rapidly, and make our own contributions.”