Shenzhen will be the site of five or six more international schools by 2020, as part of the southeastern Chinese City's efforts to meet the demands of a growing international population.

This move is also geared towards the Shenzhen government's efforts to establish an international, modern, and innovative city, China Daily reported.

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Official statistics show that more than 26,000 foreigners from 127 countries were living in Shenzhen as permanent residents in 2015, an increase of 7.2 percent from the previous year.

Japanese were the biggest group of foreign immigrants, followed by nationals from South Korea, the United States, India, and Canada.

Fan Kun, deputy director of the Shenzhen Education Bureau, explained that the establishment of more international schools in Shenzhen and the internationalization of its educational standards and facilities will be crucial in the development of the city's educational system.

"By learning from advanced international educational concepts and introducing high-quality international educational resources, Shenzhen will strive to enhance its educational internationalization level and increase its influence and competitiveness globally," Fan said.

Ziver Olmez, senior business development manager of Harrow International Management Services, which manages Harrow International Schools across the globe, noted that the number of international schools in Shenzhen is still relatively small compared with the country's other first-tier cities.

"There are big potentials to explore. In the coming years, more foreigners are expected to come and work in Shenzhen, and we are seeing more Hong Kong people going there as well. Therefore, I am quite positive about the prospects of the city's educational internationalization development," Olmez said.

Meanwhile, Dale Cox, head of Shekou International School in Shenzhen, which has been operating in the city for the past 27 years, lamented that hiring quality teachers has been a "great challenge" for their institution.

"It's very difficult to do and it's very expensive to do. And it's getting harder and harder to do because there are more and more schools competing for those teachers," Cox said.

He added  that 60 percent or more of the budget of most international schools is spent on personnel.

Shenzhen's decision to establish more international schools in the area is therefore expected to address these education-related concerns, as the city gears up for the increasing challenges of globalization.  

Tagschina, Shenzen, Shenzen International Schools