EdUHK Hosts OECD Expert Lecture on Teacher-Student Relationships
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) hosted a lecture today (7 January) with Ms Corinne Heckmann, Analyst at the Directorate for Education and Skills of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Ms Heckmann spoke on “Succeeding at school: how to strengthen the relationship between teachers and students.”
In his welcome remarks, EdUHK Associate Vice President (Research), Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam introduced Ms Heckmann’s main work, which includes the implementation and monitoring of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4: ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“As a university in Hong Kong with a primary focus on teacher education, this is an area of great importance to us at EdUHK. We would like to demonstrate by how we nurture future educators and the many community initiatives we undertake,” Professor Yung said. He also expressed his gratitude to the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macao for helping make the event possible.
During her opening remarks, Ms Christile Drulhe, the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macao, said, “This lecture series is a fantastic opportunity for France and Hong Kong educators and stakeholders to come together and discuss the challenges of education, which is so important for the future of our world.”
Establishing trust and respect is instrumental in guiding a student through the learning process. Ms Heckmann demonstrated the OECD’s analysis of education researches in different countries and identified four key aspects for strengthening teacher-student relationships. These include investing in teacher training, reducing teachers’ administrative burdens, promoting equity in education, and encouraging collaboration between schools, families, and communities.
The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience and a panel discussion with Ms Heckmann and Professor Yung.
Ms Heckmann has been with the OECD’s Directorate for Education and Skills for nearly 20 years, working in the Division of Innovation and Measuring Progress. Her work focuses on developing indicators that assess the structure, financing, and performance of education systems across OECD member and partner countries. She collaborates regularly with international organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank, UNHCR, and the European Commission on cross-cutting projects. These include the implementation and monitoring of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 on education and analysing the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education systems.
The lecture was the fourth instalment under EdUHK’s Distinguished Lecture Series in French Culture and Education. The previous three lectures featured former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mr Pascal Lamy, former French Prime Minister Mr Dominique de Villepin, and Professor Thomas Piketty, a world-leading economist.
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