A big delegation of dignitaries from China has delivered a special gift to Owairoa Primary School.
The school was one of those chosen to provide an important platform for exchanging information and opportunities in Auckland.
Celebrating the sister-school relationship with Chaotian Elementary School, the grand event also marked the unveiling of the newly installed Owairoa Distance Learning Classroom as it coincided with the 30th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Auckland and Guangzhou.
“Our school was extremely honoured to be chosen as New Zealand’s only school to receive this fantastic facility of an intelligent classroom with two
big multimedia screens, kindly donated to us by the leading educational technology company CreateView,” says Owairoa Primary principal Alan McIntyre.
Aligning with Techweek 19, one of New Zealand’s largest technology events that focuses on digital creativity, two installers were flown over from China to install the smart classroom equipment . The goal is to enhance digital teaching techniques that will allow the school to have digital communication across the globe.
Diane McIntyre, who helped organise the logistics of the big event that included a week-long cultural exchange between 10 Chaotian students, accompanied by teacher Ms Dana Lin and five parents, says: “The plan is to establish a connection to Chaotian Primary School, allowing their students and teachers to observe the teaching methods we utilise here at Owairoa.
“They can see how we teach and also read the white board that our teacher writes on while we too can watch the students in the classroom in China.
“The facility will enable our teachers and students to interact and engage with other classrooms in China and share digital teaching content and materials through a unique bilateral cultural collaboration,” she says.
A delegation of 14 dignitaries including Zhang Shuofu, Party secretary of CPC Guangzhou Committee; Liu Baochun, Director-General of Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office; Liu Chenhui, director-general of Guangzhou Municipal Commerce Bureau and Rachel Maidment, NZ Counsul General in Guangzhou, were given a Maori welcome followed by joint performances by students of both schools.
The unveiling of the big screen classrooms was followed by Chaotian students demonstrating their sills at embroidery and martial arts.
