On September 1 2015, Mr. Gong Haijie, Deputy Secretary General of Guangzhou Municipal Government led an eight-member delegation to visit Antioquia, Colombia and to learn from the “Antioquia Educational Parks” initiative. This initiative was chosen by an independent jury as one of the five winners of the 2014 Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation.

Mr. Gong Haijie, head of the Guangzhou Award delegation has a class with children in educational park of San Francisco, Antioquia.

Ms. Veronica Martinez, Sub-secretary for Educational Parks of the Province of Antioquia, took the delegation on a tour to the educational park in the San Francisco Municipality. This park represents a typical example of how the provincial government improves education in depressed areas.

Young teachers shared their experiences of working on this project with the delegation. Both sides exchanged their viewpoints on the significance of the innovations applied to education, pedagogy and vocational training as a complement to the very conventional state-sponsored educational system.

Invited by the Antioquia Government, the delegation attended the opening ceremony of an educational park situated in the El Carmen de Viboral Municipality which according to Ms. Jessica Stephenson, is the 32nd of the planned total of 80 parks. The delegation met with Mr. Sergio Fajardo Valderrama, Governor of Antioquia after the ceremony. Governor Fajardo expressed his warm welcome and appreciation on the delegation’s visit as well as his best wishes to the 3rd Guangzhou Award.

The Guangzhou award delegation with the staff of Educational Parks.