Baotou agreed a cooperation framework with the International School of Helsinki (ISH), Finland, on launching an international kindergarten in the city, reports Baotou Daily.

The project is to be established in Xindushi district, a new district still under construction, which will be the new commercial, economic, and cultural center of the city. The project is expected to be completed by September 2017, and the kindergarten will be ISH’s first pilot kindergarten in China upon completion.

Marja Rislakki, Finnish Ambassador to China, extended her congratulations to the project, which marks a new stage in Baotou’s international educational cooperation, and called for joint efforts to ensure the successful opening of the kindergarten at the signing ceremony.

Baotou, the largest industrial city of North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has devoted itself to promoting education and creating opportunities for children in the city by strengthening ties with international education institutions. The city won the contract by impressing Dr Pilvi Torsti, one of the founders of ISH, during his stay in the city in June, with the advanced educational philosophy and methods implemented in the city.

ISH is an international school based in Helsinki, Finland. Co-founded by the University of Helsinki, the oldest and largest comprehensive university in Finland, and four experts in education in 1963, it was at first a British preparatory school. The school has expanded to offer international baccalaureate programs from kindergarten to Grade 12. It is the first school in Finland to be fully authorized to offer all three international baccalaureate programs: the Primary Years Program (PYP), the Middle Years Program (MYP), and the Diploma Program.

With the alliance established, ISH will introduce international programs and courses to Baotou, boosting education in the city.