US English proficiency exam provider, iTEP International, has announced a new partnership in China which it hopes will dramatically increase its reach among Chinese learners of English.
With a reach of up to 16 million via its partnership with Zhejiang Liang Yi Cultural Development Company Ltd (ZL) – which has a relationship with English Weekly Press – the company is flagging the deal value at US$8.9 million.
As well as the relationship with English Weekly Press, an education media company that works with 40,000 schools, ZL is a main supplier of paperless teaching systems and homestay management to elementary and secondary schools in China, and will incorporate iTEP exams into its materials.
Jemal Idris, president of iTEP, explained that the iTEP Academic and iTEP SLATE exams will now be marketed to the domestic learner market, distinct from the outbound IELTS or TOEFL client.
“For every one student that is going out of the country, there are many more staying in China and wanting to influence their proficiency,” he told The PIE News.
English Weekly has a network of 400 representatives who will be trained in the iTEP products
English Weekly has a network of 400 representatives in China visiting schools to distribute the newspaper who will be trained in the iTEP products. “From a network point of view, that’s an excellent opportunity,” said Idris.
Having spent time in China, he observed, “China is becoming an English speaking country faster than any other country.”
And Perry Akins, iTEP Chairman, added, “There is an increased focus in China on forming proficient English speakers, rather than merely paying lip service to English education and going through the motions of classroom instruction.”
Shi Chuanbao, vice editor of the awarding winning English Weekly Press and secretary general of China Foreign Language and Education Research Center, commented, “We are thrilled to bring widespread awareness to a more efficient, cost-effective, and technology enabled English test such as iTEP.”
ZL also works with Zhejiang Tsinghua Yangtze River Delta Research Institute, a tie-up between Tsinghua University and Zhejiang provincial government focused on economic development.
