In this, my fifth and last President’s Overview, I have opportunity to undertake an holistic review of what the Institute achieved during the past year in the overall context of its transformation process. Grounded in the Strategic Plan 2009-12 and Beyond and guided by the “Education-plus” vision, I am pleased to report that the Institute made major advancements in developing into “an Education-focused, multidisciplinary institution with research capacity”.

Education-focused Multidisciplinary Programmes

At the undergraduate level, the Institute proceeded during the year with programme planning for the launch of the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Psychology in 2012-13. This will be the fourth University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded multidisciplinary programme introduced by the Institute, following the launch of the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language Studies and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Global and Environmental Studies in 2010-11, and the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Creative Arts and Culture in 2011-12. These offerings are complementary to our traditionally strong and well-established Bachelor of Education programmes. The Institute now operates in a multidisciplinary environment where students from different disciplines can benefit from the cross-fertilisation of knowledge and ideas.

At the postgraduate level, the Institute has steadily expanded its range of taught and research postgraduate programme offerings. Our taught postgraduate programmes cover, among others, the Doctor of Education (EdD), Master of Education, a number of Master of Arts and Master of Social Science Education programmes, and the Postgraduate Diploma in Education. To meet the needs of professional enhancement for educators and people with an interest in education and related disciplines, programme planning is underway for the launch of a new specialisation in Curriculum Studies within the EdD programme, and new Master’s programmes in Child Studies, Creative Arts Management and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Educational Counselling, Educational Speech-Language Pathology and Learning Disabilities, and Public Policy and Governance. In 2011-12, the Institute graduated its first cohort of part-time EdD students.

In terms of research training, the Institute admitted its third cohort of research postgraduate students following the launch of the Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy programmes in 2010 with the establishment of the Graduate School. These students are academically affiliated to Institute- and Faculty-level Research Centres as well as academic Departments, which provide them with good exposure to multidisciplinary research activities and experiences both locally and internationally.

Research Capacity

Under the strong academic leadership of some 40 Chair Professors and Professors – all renowned scholars in their respective fields of expertise – there has been a quantum leap in the Institute’s research capacity.

The Institute successively secured impressive results in the highly competitive Research Grants Council funding applications in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 rounds. We ranked first and second in terms of success rates and the number of awarded projects in some key discipline areas such as education, psychology and linguistics under the Humanities and Social Sciences Panel.

Within a few years of promulgating the Strategic Plan, a robust research-active culture has set in at the Institute. Apart from academic research, our scholars also consciously assume the role of public intellectuals, keenly sharing their knowledge and engaging in public discourse, through which they help advance Hong Kong as a civic society.

People Quality

Staff are the Institute’s greatest assets. We cherish the contribution of our staff and aim at fostering a climate where they see self-improvement as critical to personal and organisational success. As an academic institution, we do not merely commend exemplary performance with material rewards, but seek to motivate staff through recognising and encouraging their pursuit of excellence. It was with this objective in mind during the year that the Institute launched its first-ever President’s Awards for Outstanding Performance in the Teaching, Research, and Administrative Services domains. Through these Awards, an ethos of celebrating outstanding performance is being cultivated.

Our excellent people quality can also be observed among our alumni in the teaching community. Continuing a fine tradition, 47 out of the 54 awardees of the Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence 2011-12 went to our alumni and graduates. Indeed, since the scheme’s inception in 2003, 448 out of the total 590 awards (or 76%) went to graduates of the Institute or its predecessor Colleges of Education.

Local and International Education Leadership

The Institute is looked upon by the local education community as a leader and agenda-setter in education discourse. When considering the provision of quality early childhood education, the Institute and educators in the field believe that it will be best delivered through a 15-year free education system. A forum in February 2012, at which 400 academics and kindergarten principals and legislators from major political parties were present, helped to strengthen our advocacy role.

In 2011 the Institute was consecutively awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) a special UNESCO Chair in the area of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning and supported by it to establish a UNESCO Arts Observatory for Research in Local Cultures and Creativity in Education. Building on the success of the inaugural Roundtable in 2009, the Institute hosted the Second Asian Roundtable of Presidents of Universities of Education on 3 November 2011, attended by presidents and designated representatives of 36 universities and higher education institutions from 13 countries and regions in Asia and Europe. A feature of the Roundtable was a Joint Message supported by 52 higher education institutions pledging to collaborate in the advancement of teacher education.

With increasing recognition of its academic capacity among the international education community, the Institute has been entrusted to conduct research projects by highly prestigious regional and international bodies. Under a two-year research project commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Institute will assist the ADB in finding solutions to achieving inclusive economic growth, sustainable livelihoods and the greening of economies in four developing Asian countries – India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Into the Future

During the 2009-12 triennium, the Institute achieved the key milestones outlined in its Strategic Plan, successfully transforming itself into “an Education-focused, multidisciplinary institution with research capacity”. It is against this backdrop that the Institute submitted a report entitled Final Preparation for University Title to the Education Bureau of the Government in January 2012. The report articulates, among other things, the Institute’s aspiration to become a leading university in Education and complementary disciplines with a primary focus on the training and development of new generations of education professionals, which will be crucial to the consolidation of Hong Kong as a regional education hub.

The Institute now operates as a university in every sense but name. The granting of a university title to the Institute will give due recognition of the status it has already attained in substance.

Words of Gratitude

I have always considered myself a rational academic, not easily lapsing into sentimentality. On the last day in my capacity as President of the Institute, however, I hope I can be excused for my indulgence in reminiscence. For the past four and a half years I have been blessed with the tremendous support given to me by the Council, senior management and devoted staff, students and alumni of the Institute. The trust they have placed in me, and their resolve to work with one heart and one mind, has allowed the Institute to achieve within a relatively short span of time what seemed almost impossible. Such efforts have been driven not just by a determination to excel, but also by a strong commitment to lead in education, especially teacher education.

As I am to leave the Institute and serve Hong Kong in a new role, I am deeply grateful to the Institute community for its support of my “Education-plus” vision and for giving me the opportunity to witness the immense vibrancy unleashed by colleagues, old and new, in the process of transformation over the period of my tenure as President. We have inherited a great legacy from the previous Colleges of Education, and our current achievements will form part of the footprint into a bright future.

As a final note, I feel most honoured to have had the opportunity to serve the Institute during its critical phase of transformation, playing my small part and working with dedicated people in this growing institution. Under the guidance of the Council and the leadership of the Acting President Professor Cheng Yin-cheong, I am sure the Institute will march confidently into its next phase of development.

Professor Anthony B.L. Cheung, GBS, JP
President
30 June 2012