Dialogue with Mr. Getachew Engida
On Dec 12th, 2018, the Xinya Round Table Dialogue with Mr. Getachew Engida, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO from 2010 to 2018, was held in Room 212, the Main Building. The dialogue touched upon issues such as the revitalization of China, the Sino-African relationship, international organizations, voyages across civilizations, university education and career development, as well as Prof. Engida’s personal passion for Chinese culture. Professor Cao Li, Deputy Dean of Xinya College, Dr. Xie Zheping, Associate Research Fellow of the Institute of Education, and students from Xinya College and other institutions participated in the roundtable. Chen Zonghao, a junior student studying Electronic Engineering in Xinya College, chaired the discussion.
Preceded by an introduction to Xinya College and its educational philosophy by Prof. Cao Li, Prof. Engida expressed his admiration for Xinya College being “beautifully designed” as a liberal arts residential college at Tsinghua University, noting that liberal arts education and inculcating young generations with concerns for the whole of humanity is what the world is in urgent need of. He then briefly shared his life experiences. Subsequently, the dialogue moved to its culmination as Prof. Engida shared his opinions on some of the attention-grabbing issues raised by the students.
In order to respond to students’ curiosity about differences between various cultures, Prof. Engida cited a comparison between the French who value downtime and the Americans who, by contrast, appreciate a faster pace of life. He also mentioned that African people, akin to Chinese people, prefer a stronger bond among family members while western people such as English and American people, generally speaking, value individualism more.
Prof. Engida then shared his thoughts on leadership and college life. He proposed that great leadership should be placed in context conforming to the specifics of time and place. To be a visionary and possess public debating ability, as well as being willing to be open to others’ opinions, are all valuable properties for great leaders. More importantly, he stressed that leadership can be nurtured rather than being naturally endowed.
Prof. Engida also reminded the students of Tsinghua University that one of the most essential things in university life is to cultivate one’s ability to learn and develop the habit of lifelong learning.
Writers: Zhang Yu, Zhang Yuan
Editors: Wilson Khor, John Olbrich, Guo Lili
