|
International Collaboration and Academic Footprints |
In recent years, the Institute has placed a strategic focus on transforming
the regional education landscape. We have intensified our efforts on the
international and regional fronts, seeking to extend our footprint through
academic networking, programme and research collaboration, and the
organisation of international conferences and symposia.
|
Academic Accolades |
During the year, the Institute’s academic impact
reached new heights, with international recognition
given by the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for our work in
lifelong learning and vocational education, as well as in
culture and creativity in education.
|
UNESCO Chair in Technical and Vocational
Education and Training and Lifelong Learning |
In January 2011, UNESCO awarded the Institute a
highly prestigious Chair in the area of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Lifelong
Learning. This was the first time for UNESCO to award
an Education Chair to a tertiary institution in Hong
Kong. The award recognises the Institute’s growing
profile and sphere of influence, and its capacity in and
commitment to education and human development
within the Asia-Pacific region. The UNESCO Chair will
help the Institute advance knowledge and promote
best and innovative practices in TVET and lifelong
learning not just in Hong Kong but also throughout
China, the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Through the Chair, the Institute has already forged strong
links with 40 prestigious universities and international
organisations, such as the University of Oxford and the
University of Cambridge in the UK, the University of
Melbourne in Australia, the Beijing Normal University
Institute of Technology and Vocational Education in
Mainland China, the UNESCO Offices in Paris, Beijing
and Bangkok, and the Asian Development Bank.
|
UNESCO Observatory for Research in Local Cultures and Creativity in Education |
In April 2011, the Institute and UNESCO Bangkok
Office signed a memorandum of understanding to
establish a UNESCO Observatory for Research in
Local Cultures and Creativity in Education. This
Observatory testifies to the Institute’s standing and
impact in arts education, as well as its expanding
academic and research capacity in the areas of
music, visual arts and cultural studies, at both the
regional and international levels. The Observatory will form a network of collaborations with
other UNESCO Arts Education Observatories, including
its counterparts in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore,
South Korea and Thailand, cooperative partners in other
UNESCO member states, and the wider arts community.
|
Shaping International Landscape in Education |
In recent years, the Institute has played host to
and become a popular venue for a great number of
regional and international academic events. Through
active engagement with strategic partners beyond
Hong Kong, the Institute has played a leading role in
regional and international discourses in education.
Major international conferences held during the year
covered a range of areas, such as university education,
teacher education and learning, lifelong learning,
language education and spirituality education, with
highlights as follows.
|
The Second East Asian International Conference on Teacher Education Research |
The Institute organised the Second East Asian
International Conference on Teacher Education
Research with the theme “Teacher Education for
the Future – International Perspectives” on 15-17
December 2010. At the Conference, 650 teacher
educators, researchers and government officials
from 30 countries converged to share their research
findings on teacher education. The participants
also exchanged views on addressing the challenges
of globalisation, international competition and technological advancement, through a change in
the focus of teacher education from an instructorcentric
to a student-oriented teaching approach.
|
International Symposium on Lifelong Learning 2011 |
On 12-13 January 2011, the Institute hosted an
International Symposium on Lifelong Learning.
High ranking members of the international
education community, including the directors
of the UNESCO Offices in Bangkok and Beijing,
the Head of the Education Section of the Asian
Development Bank in Manila and 50 influential
education policymakers, researchers and
practitioners from around the world gathered
to explore future directions of research and
developments in lifelong learning, particularly
in relation to poverty alleviation and sustainable
development in the Asia-Pacific region.
|
Fourth World Universities Forum |
With the rise of Asia, there is an increased need to
study the shift of focus in higher education among
Asian countries and beyond. On 14-16 January 2011,
the Fourth World Universities Forum took place with
170 academics, researchers, university administrators,
policymakers and analysts exchanging views and sharing
the latest findings on issues related to the development,
role, management and governance of universities,
under the theme of “Asia Rising and the Changing
Architecture of Global Higher Education”. This was the
first time that Hong Kong had hosted the Forum.
|
The Second Asian Roundtable of Presidents of Universities of Education |
Building on the success of the inaugural Asian
Roundtable of Presidents of Universities of
Education in May 2009, the Institute worked
at full steam during the year to prepare for
the Second Asian Roundtable, to be held on 3
November 2011 under the theme of “Envisioning
the Future of Asian Universities of Education”.
The upcoming Roundtable will again provide
a platform on which university presidents can
share insights into how to shape the future of
the region’s universities of education in the
face of global challenges and opportunities,
and to support social transformation and human
development through education. It is expected
that around 40 presidents or their deputies
from across Asia and Europe including Mainland
China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand, Vietnam, Austria and Switzerland will
attend the Roundtable.
|
Collaboration and Networking |
The Institute has been working actively in forging
closer ties and academic collaboration with institutions
around the world, as far afield as Russia and Saudi
Arabia. In June 2011, with newly signed agreements,
the Institute boasted a network covering 133
institutions in Mainland China, Taiwan, Macau, other
parts of Asia, Australia, Europe and North America for
academic collaborations and student exchange.
During the year, the Institute reached an agreement
with South China Normal University to offer dual
degree programmes, with students taking courses
in both institutions. Outreach to Taiwan also
successfully developed further links and student
exchange programmes.
Building on its growing international network, the
Institute actively partnered with other institutions to
plan and provide dual degrees or joint programmes
for enhancing student learning. For example, a
Master of Social Science Education (Ethnicity
and Global Citizenship) programme was planned
for launch in 2011-12 in collaboration with the
University of Illinois, USA, and a new Master of
Arts in Education for Sustainability was planned
for launch in 2012-13 in partnership with Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
|
A Thriving Multicultural Campus |
The Institute has been working towards creating a
dynamic campus, thriving with diversity. With close
to 500 non-local postgraduate and undergraduate
students, together with an increasing number of
international inbound exchange students, a vibrant
pluralistic environment is being created, helping to
raise local students’ global awareness and fostering
cross-cultural understanding among students from
different countries and ethnic backgrounds.
The Buddy Programme is a successful initiative that
enables local students to extend their international
exposure while serving as local ambassadors. Other
cultural learning and exchange activities beyond the
classroom such as cultural excursions, Cantonese
classes, social gatherings and receptions were
organised throughout the year. A Farewell Party in
May rounded out the diversified profile of year-round
activities, with inbound exchange students sharing
their feelings about and experiences of time spent
at the Institute, giving local students much food for
thought about their education paths.
|
|
|
|