With teacher education as its primary focus, EdUHK makes a unique contribution to society. As the Council Chairman, I am privileged and honoured to have played a role in this University, which is celebrating its 25 years of teaching excellence.
Yet, our roots in teacher education can be traced back to 1853, when the first formalised in-service teacher training programme was introduced in Hong Kong. The establishment of the former Colleges of Education in the past century and the subsequent birth of the former Institute of Education 25 years ago are part of our education legacy, of which we are very proud. I am pleased that EdUHK and its predecessors have together nurtured generations of passionate and committed educators and caring professionals for the benefit of the school sector and the betterment of society.
All these achievements could not have been possible without the concerted efforts of our predecessors, former and current Council members, colleagues, students and alumni, as well as partners and supporters of the University, during the different stages of development. I wish to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to our founding Council Chairman, Dr Simon Ip Sik-on, whose foresight and vision provided a blueprint for our growth and transformation, when our Tai Po campus was still under construction almost a quarter of a century ago. Special thanks must also go to my predecessors, Dr Thomas Leung Kwok-fai and Dr Pang Yiu-kai, for their exceptional leadership and enormous contributions.
As a young and thriving teacher education-focused university, we must continuously strive for excellence in what we deliver in terms of learning and teaching, research and knowledge transfer. In this regard, I am pleased to report that the Council held a retreat in June 2019 to take stock of our progress, re-examine our strategic goals, and identify priority areas for the coming years. This was the first progress review of the University’s Strategic Plan 2016–2025 – three years after its launch. Many ideas were generated during brainstorming sessions at the retreat to help the University scale new heights, especially in the domains of internationalisation, academic development and research training, to enhance the competitiveness of our undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Another important initiative during the reporting period was the signing of the University Accountability Agreement (UAA) for the 2019–22 Triennium with the University Grants Committee (UGC). As always, the Council attaches the utmost importance to university governance, and we worked closely with the UGC during the consultation process. Among other things, the UAA outlines the key performance indicators for EdUHK and other UGC-funded universities in five key domains, covering the student learning experience; research performance and research postgraduate experience; knowledge transfer and engagement; internationalisation; and financial health and institutional sustainability. The Council and the Senior Management team are committed to ensuring the implementation of the UAA under the principles of transparency and accountability.
Before closing, I wish to thank outgoing Council Members Mrs Viola Chan Man Yee-wai, Professor Robert Damian Adamson, Professor Joanne Chung Wai-yee and Mr Cheung Yam for their dedicated service to the Council. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new Council Members, Mr Glenn Fok, Professor Mark Mason, Dr Eric Tsang Po-keung and Mr Leung Yiu-ting.
The past 25 years have witnessed the phenomenal development of the former Institute and EdUHK, fulfilling our core mission in teacher education. With the solid foundation laid and the concerted efforts of our colleagues, students, alumni and partners of the University, I have every confidence that we will continue to make significant strides forward in our traditional strengths and complementary areas for many years to come.
Professor Frederick Ma Si-hang, GBS, JP
Chairman of the Council