Press Release

BEIJING, March 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc. (NYSE: EDU), the largest provider of private educational services in China, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Thomson Learning, a leading provider of materials for English language teaching and learning throughout the world, for the exclusive right to distribute Thomson's "ELT Advantage: Online Courses for Teachers" in mainland China for a period of five years.

"We are excited to enter into this agreement with one of the leading educational publishing companies, Thomson Learning," said Michael Yu, New Oriental's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "The demand for English language instruction in China has grown dramatically in recent years and the supply of qualified teachers has not been able to keep up. This program will complement our existing online courses and improve our position in the burgeoning teacher training market."

"We have seen a dramatic growth in the demand for professionally trained English teachers in China and we believe New Oriental is uniquely positioned to address this need," said Dennis Hogan, president of Thomson ELT. "We are looking forward to working with New Oriental and TESOL to help prepare the next generation of English teachers in China."

ELT Advantage, developed by Thomson ELT with courses approved by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), offers online professional development courses for the English language teaching professional. All teachers that complete the program will receive a certificate of completion from both Thomson and TESOL.

Mr. Yu also noted that the Company plans to provide its teaching professionals with the opportunity to gain the ELT Advantage certification as part of their professional development. "Our teachers already pass the comprehensive New Oriental training program before entering the classroom. The ELT certification will help to differentiate our teachers from our competitors' and serve as a testament to our commitment to quality," Mr. Yu concluded.

About Thomson Learning

Thomson Learning delivers highly customized learning solutions for colleges, universities, professors, students, reference centers, government agencies, corporations and professionals around the world. These solutions are delivered through specialized content, applications and services that foster academic excellence and professional development, as well as provide measurable learning outcomes to its customers. Thomson Learning's mission is to shape the future of global learning by delivering consistently better learning solutions for learners, instructors and institutions.

About TESOL

Founded in 1966, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), is a global education association with more than 13,500 members and 90 affiliates in over 120 countries. Representing a multifaceted academic discipline and profession, TESOL offers members serial publications, books, and electronic resources on current issues, ideas, and opportunities in the field of English language teaching. TESOL also conducts a variety of workshops and symposia, including an annual convention, regarded as the foremost professional development opportunity for English language educators worldwide. TESOL's mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages.

About New Oriental

New Oriental is the largest provider of private educational services in China based on the number of program offerings, total student enrollments and geographic presence. New Oriental offers a wide range of educational programs, services and products consisting primarily of English and other foreign language training, test preparation courses for major admissions and assessment tests in the United States, the PRC and Commonwealth countries, primary and secondary school education, development and distribution of educational content, software and other technology, and online education. New Oriental's ADSs, each of which represents four common shares, currently trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "EDU." For more information about New Oriental, please visit http://english.neworiental.org .

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about New Oriental's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Information regarding these risks and uncertainties is included in our registration statement on Form F-1 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New Oriental does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law. All information provided in this press release is as of March 14, 2007, and New Oriental undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

    For more information, please contact:

    In China:
     Ms. Sisi Zhao
     New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc.
     Tel:   +86-10-6260-5566 x8203
     Email: zhaosisi@staff.neworiental.org

     Mr. Rory Macpherson
     Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
     Tel:   +86-10-8520-6553
     Email: rory.macpherson@ogilvy.com

    In the United States:
     Mr. Thomas Smith
     Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
     Tel:   +1-212-880-5269
     Email: thomas.smith@ogilvypr.com

SOURCE  New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc.
    -0-              03/14/2007
    /CONTACT:  In China, Sisi Zhao of New Oriental Education and Technology
Group Inc., +86-10-6260-5566 x8203, or zhaosisi@staff.neworiental.org; or Mr.
Rory Macpherson, +86-10-8520-6553, or rory.macpherson@ogilvy.com, or for
United States, Mr. Thomas Smith, +1-212-880-5269, or
thomas.smith@ogilvypr.com, both of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide for New
Oriental/
    /Web site:  http://english.neworiental.org/
    (EDU)

CO:  New Oriental Education and Technology Group Inc.; Thomson Learning
ST:  China
IN:  EDU HED CPR MLM ITE
SU:  LIC





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8929 03/14/2007 08:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com