雅思30周年庆典，谁是见证人？
2019年1月22日，“雅思合作伙伴颁奖典礼暨雅思30周年启动庆典”在北京隆重举行！新航道国际教育集团董事长兼CEO胡敏教授作为特邀嘉宾发表主题致辞，并作为雅思考试30周年见证代表与雅思官方东亚及中国区负责人一起共同开启30周年庆典仪式！
活动现场，胡敏教授作为雅思30周年见证代表，他说：“我跟雅思的渊源，应该可以追溯到1999年，正好是20年以前。当时我到伦敦英国文化委员会，拜访肖恩·海德先生，当时雅思还在拼命的夺取更大的市场份额，树立自己的业内地位，而托福是一个帝国。当时我对肖恩·海德先生说了这么一番话，IELTS shall one day arise and shine in the kingdom of English language testing.一晃二十年过去了，这二十年我们看到了雅思的快速发展，雅思考试人数的急剧增长，我们共同见证了过去雅思考试的30年辉煌。我从伦敦回来以后，就开始了我的人生中最重要的旅程——雅思之旅。当时我确实认为，雅思考试是全The world's first个用international这个词的，具有国际范，具有全球视野，服务全世界。第二个，当时我总结了雅思考试它有四个方面的作用，The first个，雅思它是一个A passport to immigration，移民的通行证。第二个是，A new way to study abroad，留学的新途径，A golden key to a future career, 职场的金钥匙。A new place for English learning, 英语学习的大课堂。”
英国文化教育协会东亚区考试业务总监Steve Adams与胡敏教授合影
的确，从最初的预言到今天的雅思大发展，“胡敏”与“雅思”有着千丝万缕的关系。
2000年，胡敏教授在国内成功主持、自主开发出了第1代培训教材，填补了当时国内雅思培训领域的空白。
2007年，新航道推出“胡敏雅思第5代”系列教材，被高等院校国际学院和许多知名培训机构奉为经典。胡敏教授携“雅思梦之队”在全国高校进行了数百场雅思巡回演讲，反响强烈，胡敏教授因此被主流媒体誉为“中国雅思之父”。
2009年，在雅思考试20年颁奖典礼上，英国文化协会授予胡敏教授全球“雅思考试20年20人”杰出贡献奖。
2019年的今天，在雅思30年庆典之际，胡敏教授作为雅思30年见证代表……
胡敏教授与雅思官方共同开启雅思30周年亮灯仪式
所谓无巧不成书，雅思考试的30年，也正是新航道的15周年，2004年胡敏教授带领“雅思梦之队”开始创建新航道。在海淀区知春路的一个两室一厅的一个公寓里面，不足180平米的一个房间里面，开始创业。那么这么多年过去了，如今新航道在全球46个城市，拥有学校，在墨尔本拥有分校；每年培训学生逾10万人次。在此次2019年颁奖典礼上，新航道凭借超强实力及对雅思的突出贡献蝉联雅思考试官方“集团贡献奖”，新航道下属8所分校分别荣获“白金级合作伙伴（6所获奖白金级机构中，新航道独揽3个）、金级合作伙伴“奖项！
在致辞中胡敏教授说到：三十年弹指一挥间已经过去了，30而立，倍道而进。现在是一个A new era of globalization,全球化的时代，拥抱的是那些能够参与到全球竞争与合作能力的人才，国际精英人才。胡老师想借这个机会，跟大家简单的分享一点，我对现在的这个领域的看法。我认为，中国的英语教育，包括培训，有一点类似于金字塔，塔基在哪里？塔基是test-oriented language learning应试教育。中间的这个层次，是英语能力的教育培训the acquisition of four basic language skills of listening , speaking, reading and writing，这是第二层次。但是这个塔尖，the top of the pyramid is global competence塔尖是全球胜任力。全球胜任力意味着什么？它有四个维度，The first个维度是指的the capacity to analyze local, global and intercultural issues，第二个维度是the capacity to understand and appreciate perspectives and world views of others，第三个维度是the ability to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures，最后一个维度是the capacity to take action for collective well-being and sustainable growth。这四个维度里面，都包含了其中的一条主线，就是整个英语的沟通能力。
30年，众多中国学子通过雅思考试进入院校、走向世界，雅思考试确实获得越来越多的教育机构、中等教育机构、企事业单位、国内的国外的普遍的认可。而从2004年到2018年，在新航道的14年进程中，作为培训机构，新航道成功地帮助了数十万人，实现了他们的院校的梦想。进如牛津、剑桥这一些的学府。新航道只是许许多多在中国成功的“雅思故事”之一，未来新航道将继续一如既往与雅思官方一起见证更多中国学生国际化之路！
附：胡敏教授2019雅思合作伙伴颁奖典礼演讲全文：
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
Good evening！
Let me begin by congratulating all the awarded IELTS partners this evening! I wish all of you even greater success! Thanks for the delicious meal and the performances were wonderful indeed!
It is my great honor to be invited to give a speech at 2019 IELTS Overseas Education Collaboration Forum to witness its glorious past 30 years.
My first encounter with IELTS goes back to 1999, that is exactly 20 years ago. I visited Mr. Sean Hyde of the British Council in London. At that time, TOFEL was considered as the empire of English language testing; IELTS, however, was still trying hard to fight for its foothold. I offered Mr. Hyde my word of hope, saying that IELTS shall one day arise and shine in the kingdom of English language testing. In my view IELTS could become a passport to immigration; a new way to study abroad; a golden key to a future career and a new place for English learning.
With that vision in mind we parted our ways. I returned to China to embark on my new journey of IELTS for Chinese learners and testees of English. The past 20 years have seen burgeoning growth in IELTS in terms of book publishing, training schools and academic events and study overseas.
Here I would like to share with you the IELTS story of my company, the New Channel International Education Group Limited ( New Channel). In 2004 New Channel was founded. It now has 46 schools, more than 300 learning centers around the globe. IELTS book publishing has been a booming business sector of my company. Major British publishers like Macmillan, Cambridge University Press as well as Harper Collins are collaborators of New Channel. In fact, in collaboration with Harper Collins, one of the largest English language education publishers in the world, we jointly published 7Th Generation of IELTS textbooks.
China IELTS Festival is an annual IELTS academic event launched by New Channel. Up to now, it has been continuing for 12 years. Above a million learners benefited from nearly a thousand events held in more than 40 cities and over 100 universities.
During the 14 years from 2004 to 2018, New Channel had exerted every effort to help hundreds of thousands of learners realize their dream to enter prestigious universities like Cambridge and Oxford and become the Chinese youth with global competence. They contribute to the community of shared future for mankind like the shining stars on the world stage.
New Channel's success is just one of many true IELTS stories in China and around the globe. Today IELTS scores are accepted by the higher education institutions in many parts of the world. As a matter of fact, the IELTS test has become the most popular test in the whole world.
All these truly remarkable achievements made by IELTS only prove what I predicted about it 20 years ago has become a reality!
It goes without saying that those past glories of IELTS shall always remain fresh! However, one cannot dwell upon it, for we are now in a new era of globalization. The world demands skillful and multifaceted talent of great minds. It resembles a pyramid of three different levels. The bottom level concerns the test-oriented language learning; the middle level involves the acquisition of four basic language skills of listening , speaking, reading and writing, and the top of the pyramid is global competence.
The global competence includes the following four dimensions. The first dimension is the capacity to examine local, global and intercultural issues; the second dimension is the capacity to understand and appreciate different perspectives and world views; the third is the ability to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures, and the fourth is the ability to take action for collective well-being and sustainable development.
It is clear that the IELTS test itself cannot get you to the top of the pyramid, but the reliable and valid assessment it provides surely smooths the way to it.
Look ahead, IELTS holds a promising future. We shall continue to collaborate with the British Council Testing Services so as to create more opportunities to help learners to become globally competent English language communicators.
I wish the International English Language Testing System another 30 glorious years! I wish everyone here a very happy and prosperous new year!
Thank you!
