Leading Regional Education Discourse The Institute is keen to share with counterparts around the world, through which we gain a global perspective and learn from the diversified experience of their education development. During the year, we organised a large number of international and regional conferences, which saw scholars and experts converge at the Institute for academic exchange and dialogue. These included the following.
Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium
On 27-31 July 2009, the Assessment Research Centre (ARC) hosted a five-day annual conference that attracted over 200 participants from 14 countries and jurisdictions (including English speaking countries, Germany, the Mainland, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, among others), with 111 submitted papers and posters. The Institute’s ARC is the base of the Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Society, which was established to promote research into and the development of objective measurement through the Rasch model in the Pacific Rim.
International Conference on Primary Education 2009
This conference was hosted by the Faculty of Education Studies on 25-27 November 2009, providing a platform for discussion and exploration on policies, practices and challenges in primary education. The conference attracted over 400 delegates from 22 countries, including (English speaking countries, the Mainland, Iran, Malta, Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Thailand and Turkey, among others). A total of 190 presentations were delivered in English, Putonghua and Cantonese. Selected papers were submitted to international refereed journals for publication.
Asia Leadership Roundtable 2010
A Roundtable themed “Developing an Agenda for Research on Leadership and Change in the Asia Pacific” was held on 11-12 January 2010, attracting 50 international education leaders from the Mainland, Taiwan, South and North Asia, Europe, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The group discussed an agenda for research into leadership and change in the region. Delegates were unanimous in their praise of the Institute and the outcomes, which strengthened regional and global networks and enhanced relationships for future research and development collaboration.
International Conference on Governance in China and India
As China and India ascend the global political stage and play increasingly important economic roles in the 21st century, there is keen interest in studying these two ancient countries. Held on 29-30 March 2010 with a theme of “Governing the Asian Giants: The Search for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in China and India”, the conference was co-organised by the Institute, the University of Oslo and the University of Hong Kong. It attracted a wide range of international scholars, government consultants, NGO practitioners and policy advocates from Hong Kong, India, the Mainland, Norway, Singapore and the US who explored ways of achieving good governance, poverty alleviation, sustainable development and transitional policy coordination in the region.
Forging Regional and International Partnerships
To advance academic research activities, academic collaboration and student exchange, in 2009-10 the Institute continued to forge strategic alliances and partnership with universities and educational institutions worldwide. Throughout the year, Institute staff played host to and participated in high-level visits to universities and education related institutions in the Mainland and overseas. These visits resulted in the signing of collaborative agreements and opening up opportunities to extend the Institute’s footprint and impact on education regionally and internationally.
Visit to UNESCO
In November 2009, the President led a visit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The organisation was highly impressed with the Institute’s strength in education and synergistic potential of its development strategy within the region. Capitalising on the results of the visit, a proposal for a UNESCO Chair Professorship in Technical and Vocational Education and Training, and a related UNESCO-Twinning University Network project, were developed and submitted.
Strategic International Alliance and Capacity Building
During the year, the Institute forged strategic alliances in the areas of research and exchange with leading universities in the US, the UK, continental Europe and Australia. Notable new signings include the Institute of Education, the University of London and Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, the Pädagogische Hochschule Karlsruhe in Germany, the University of Malaya in Malaysia, Universidad de Seville in Spain, Vanderbilt University and the University of Minnesota in the US and Monash University in Australia.
Visits to selected international universities continue to pave the way for international capacity building in a wide range of areas such as health and social care management, music, creative media, environmental education and sustainability studies, comparative Asia-Europe studies, global higher education governance, and inclusive education.
Visits to Mainland and Taiwanese Universities
In mid-April and early May 2010, two Institute delegations led by the President visited key universities in the Mainland and Taiwan, including Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, National Chengchi University and National Taiwan University. The visits explored collaboration opportunities in the areas of research and teaching, with particular focus on Greater China studies, which resulted in the successful signing of new agreements with our Mainland and Taiwanese counterparts.
Bonding and Agreements
In keeping with our developing international profile, the Institute received a significant increase in the number of visiting delegations from regional and overseas universities keen to establish research and programme links with us. These included the South China Normal University in the Mainland, the University of Kassel in Germany, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft HTW Chur in Switzerland, the University of Aberdeen in the UK, Aichi University of Education in Japan, the University of Melbourne in Australia and Auckland University in New Zealand.
With the newly signed agreements, the Institute maintains networks with 125 partner institutions in the Mainland and around the world, including countries in North and South America, Western and Australia and New Zealand.
Promoting Hong Kong as a Regional Education Hub
During the year the Institute continued its efforts to extend Hong Kong’s profile as a regional education hub. Ongoing participation in joint activities coordinated by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to promote Hong Kong higher education overseas, such as in Malaysia, was complemented by leadership in the sharing of ideas and experiences
on internationalisation through different platforms.
In October 2009, the President was invited to be
a key speaker at a Symposium on Internationalisation organised by the HUCOM Sub-committee on Internationalisation, and Institute staff initiated
and led special interest groups, conducted research and published in the area.
Working with UNESCO offices in Beijing and Bangkok, together with associated international institutions such as the World Bank and the
Asia Development Bank, the Institute is strengthening not only its capacity to implement its strategic development goals, but is also actively promoting Hong Kong as a premier education hub in the region.
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