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Professor Anthony B.L. Cheung, Research Chair Professor of Public Administration with the Department of Asian and Policy Studies (APS), speaks at the online seminar hosted by TransitCenter on “Transit and COVID-19: The Hong Kong Story” on 17 June 2020. With the experience from the SARS epidemic, Hong Kong was one of the cities to respond quickly to COVID-19. But the MTR Corporation is dealing with the financial challenges due to the pandemic, as well as the pro-democracy demonstrations. During the conversation, Professor Cheung shared how Hong Kong Public Transit copes with COVID-19. Visit TransitCenter’s Facebook Page for the recording of the seminar: https://bit.ly/37D5ARo.

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) announced the result of the President’s Awards for Outstanding Performance 2019/20 on 22 May 2020. Two faculty members of the Department of Asian and Policy Studies (APS) have been conferred with this prestigious awarded in the domains of teaching and research, respectively. This year, a total of 32 nominations, consisting of 10 nominations for the Teaching domain, 11 nominations for the Research domain, 8 nominations for the Knowledge Transfer domain, and 3 nominations for the Administrative Services domain, have been received. All the nominations have gone through stringent selection by respective Selection Panels comprising lay Council Members, colleagues from sister universities, staff and student representatives, as well as past Award Recipients, according to a set of comprehensive assessment criteria. 

Outstanding Performance in Teaching

Dr Isabella NG Fung-Sheung Associate Head of Department of Asian and Policy Studies (Teaching and Learning) Assistant Professor The President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching was established to recognize and reward excellence in teaching by individual academic staff or teams and to emphasize the University’s commitment to fostering teaching innovation and excellence, enhancing students learning, and providing teaching scholarships. Dr Isabella Ng Fung-sheung, Assistant professor of APS has been awarded the Presidents’ Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching. Trained as a feminist anthropologist, she applies her research approach to teaching by engaging students in long-term community, policy and research work. Her research training facilitated her adoption of her 3Cs approach – Collaboration, Co-production and Camaraderie – as a way of combining training in the tangible skills of co-construction and application of knowledge, and the intangible personal attributes of resilience, compassion, passion, love and empathy. Dr Ng’s teaching philosophy is “Teaching without borders”. She has applied this philosophy by 1) leading her students to work on and in the local community and communities far and wide; 2) encouraging students of diverse backgrounds to engage with marginalized communities; and 3) exposing students to real-life learning by participating in real-life policy advocacy and lobbying processes. She and her students have worked with walled villagers, Thai migrants, and asylum-seekers and refugees in Hong Kong, as well as displaced persons in Thailand and Myanmar. She co-founded a non-government organisation (NGO) with asylum-seekers and students in 2014. Through her engagement with the refugee community, she has co-produced and published journal articles and the first Chinese book on asylum-seeker and refugee issues in Hong Kong, in collaboration with her students. She was the first academic to lead a team of students to prepare and present policy submissions in Hong Kong Legislative Council Public Hearings. Within the University, Dr Ng developed the popular Communication Studies in Policy and Governance minor, which promotes integrating communication studies as an integral part of contemporary policy studies and advocacy, a crucial element overlooked in the local higher-education curriculum. In 2013, she obtained a Teaching Development Grant to develop a web portal to engage students in instant forum discussions and reflective learning, and to use media tools and strategies to actively engage in policy and social issues. To live up to her philosophy of “Teaching without borders”, Dr Ng has been training academics in universities in Myanmar and giving talks locally and internationally on refugee issues. She has also worked with the United Nations and international NGOs to combat negative narratives about migrants. She received the 2019 “Good Teacher Award” from Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union for her dedication and commitment to learning and teaching.  

Outstanding Performance in Research (Research Excellence Award) 

Dr Alex HE Jingwei Associate Head of Department of Asian and Policy Studies (Research and Development) Associate Professor The President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Research was established to honour research excellence exhibited by individual academic staffs or teams and to recognise, encourage and reward outstanding research of significant benefit to the wider community. Dr Alex HE Jingwei, Associate Professor of APS, has been awarded the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Research (Research Excellence Award). Dr He’s main research areas are public policy analysis, health policy and reforms, and comparative social policy. As Principal Investigator, Dr He secured funding from the Early Career Scheme (ECS), the General Research Fund (GRF), the Public Policy Research (PPR) Funding Scheme, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in the past five years. Success in these external grant applications is a good indication of the recognition of Dr He’s significant contribution to social policy research in urban China and Hong Kong, and strong evidence-based policy recommendations. Dr He is prolific researcher, with 23 research outputs in the past three years, including 14 journal articles, four book chapters and one edited book. He was the first author or corresponding author in all these publications. Dr He’s specialisation in social policy and health governance with an East Asian focus has been widely recognized. In July 2019, he was selected as a core member of the research consortium of The Asia-Pacific Observatory (APO) on Health Systems and Policies of the WHO. This achievement not only served as a strong testament to Dr He’s academic excellence, but also increased the exposure of EdUHK in the international health care community. He has demonstrated outstanding research leadership in the broader academic community, serving as the Associate Editor of the Journal of Asian Public Policy and Executive Member of the East Asian Social Policy Network. In addition to his research achievements, Dr He is devoted to the promotion of a research culture in both EdUHK and the broader academic community. He has held key administrative roles in his Department, where he is the Associate Head and Chair of the Departmental Research Committee. Since 2016, he has run an annual public policy summer school series, which attracted hundreds of young scholars and research students from Hong Kong, the Mainland, Taiwan, Macau and overseas. Striving to make impact for the betterment of the society with his research, Dr He enthusiastically participates in policy advocacy. He has contributed to raising public awareness of health-reform options through extensive media engagements in Hong Kong and China.   In view of the current pandemic, the President’s Awards Presentation Ceremony for this year has been postponed and combine it with the one in the next year. Since the launched of the President’s Awards in 2011/12, several members of the APS have been awarded.

(星島日報報道)「一帶一路」沿線國家哈薩克斯坦是中亞地區最大的經濟體，教育大學通識教育榮譽文學士畢業生在機

Professor Woo Chi-keung at the Department of Asian and Policy Studies (APS) of the Education University of Hong Kong has been awarded HK$ 586,040 under the Research Funding Scheme 2020-2021 of the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office, Hong Kong SAR Government for his project of Performance-based Regulation of Mass Transit Railway’s Reliability Performance.

With increasing worldwide and complex social challenges, the demand for talent in public policy and management soars. It is not uncommon for senior bureaucrats or rising stars from the civil service to be despatched for overseas study, or for some, to be lured by excellence of the institutes and attractive offer. Nitikon Jirathitikankit (Nitikon), our Thai Student of Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) with the Department of Asian and Policy Studies (APS) at the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), is one of rising stars in Thai bureaucracy and an awardee of the MPPM Full Entrance Scholarship.  

Prior to coming to Hong Kong, he has received two bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and in Law, and a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from different universities in Thailand. He also has completed a Master of Sciences in Security, Conflict and Justice at the University of Leeds before studying in our MPPM programme. Nitikon has been working for the Office of the Constitutional Court of Thailand as an Academic Officer at Constitutional Research and Development Division for more than a decade, we would like to know why he decided to study in our MPPM programme, and how does the knowledge he learnt from this programme help him for career advancement?   

Please tell us a bit about your job 

Before I studied in the UK, and Hong Kong, I had been working for the Office of the Constitutional Court of Thailand as an Academic Officer at Constitutional Research and Development Division for 11 years. My primary duty is mostly dealing with research project regarding comparative constitutional law and public law, and also the competences of the constitutional court or equivalent institutions around the world. Apart from legal research, I am also involved in publishing academic papers in academic journals and books for the Court.   

Why and how did you decide to come to EdUHK and study MPPM? 

APS signed the MOU with Naresuan University (Thailand) where I got my bachelor’s degree in political science, and my teacher, Professor Napisa Waitoolkiat (Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences at Naresuan University) recommended me to apply for this programme. The department offered me a full entrance scholarship, which provided me with a great chance to improve myself in the academic and research skills, an important criterion for my career advancement.   MPPM provided me with a wide range of courses, like the basic knowledge of public policy and public administration. Even though I graduated in political science for my bachelor degree, I have already forgotten some of the knowledge I acquired from the programme. So, MPPM is very useful for students who want to improve themselves in public management, public administration and public policy. I have recommended this programme to my friends and colleagues who are thinking of further studies.   In my opinion, the University and the department are very supportive to students, especially international students, who are total strangers to Hong Kong, like me, and I do really appreciate that in this difficult situation, the school has putting a lot of effort to ensure students’ safety and continuity in learning. Also, teachers and Staffs of the APS have been providing good quality of teaching and learning environment, and I am very impressed.   I found out that the environment here is very peaceful and lovely. Although I am living off campus, I come back to the campus all the time, even though all face-to-face lectures have been cancelled, because the environment is so tranquil that it is very conducive to learning.   

How does the knowledge you have learnt from the programme help you in your career advancement? 

I think the programme has broadened my perspectives. As a civil servant in my home country, of course, I am familiar with the public administration in Thailand but know very little about other countries. The course PPG 6005 ‘Public Administration and Management in Asia’ taught by Professor Darryl Jarvis provided me with this kind of knowledge. In the course, he illustrated the concepts by using a lot of real-life examples. For example, he told us how the Indonesian Government manage their utilities, such as water and electricity, through privatization. This kind of knowledge helps me understand more about public administration, and I could take some references from these examples. If I ever have the chance, I could propose some ideas to my senior managers in order to improve the Court’s performance.   Not only have I gained knowledge from this programme, but also I have improved my inter-personal skills, as most of the assignments given by the lecturers are group-based. I have a lot of chances to work with classmates from different backgrounds, and we can learn how to share ideas, how to compromise with one another and get the decision from different aspects. This skill is very important to my life, as well as for my career development.   

What would you say about the learning style in Thailand and Hong Kong? 

I was quite surprised by the Student-Teacher relationship here. In Thailand, we keep some distance with our teachers as we need to pay respect to them, However, in Hong Kong, we are given opportunities to contact all lecturers, and we can make an appointment for consultation just simply by sending an email. Therefore, we have a very close relationship with lecturers.   Furthermore, lecturers provide students with the reading list, assign us with lots of articles and texts to go through before the class. This proves to be quite useful, as you know what you are going to learn in advance, and we can prepare ourselves before the class. Moreover, the University’s facilities, such as the library, also provide us various kind of materials, which are the significant resources for conducting research project and doing assignments.

How do you spend your free time here? 

 I am one of the volunteers at the Hong Kong Society for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees (HKSASR), which is founded by Dr Isabella Ng, and this offered me a new experience. As a civil servant in Thailand, I was just sitting in my office and doing my job, but working with Isabella, I can explore the unknown side of Hong Kong. At the same time, I have made a lot of new friends with the asylum-seekers and refugees. This offers me a new opportunity to learn how to communicate with people of different background from Hong Kong.

PTU News ran a feature story on Dr Isabella Ng Fung-sheung, Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian and Policy Studies, who won a “Good Teacher Award” organized by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union. The story mentioned Dr Ng, who is committed to research and community work, founded the Hong Kong Society for Asylum-Seekers and Refugees and set up a music class to help children who are unable to go to school due to their nationality issue. For more details, please visit: https://issuu.com/hkptu/docs/704ptunews/12. (Chinese only)

Dr Xiao Hanyu, assistant professor at APS, was interviewed by Ming Pao. He pointed out the abilities young people should have to participate in politics and introduced the four characteristics of the Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) Programme.

Details: https://jupas.mingpao.com/postgrad/%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E4%B8%8D%E5%86%8D%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E5%86%B7%E6%84%9F-%E7%A0%94%E5%85%AC%E5%85%B1%E6%94%BF%E7%AD%96%E9%80%A0%E6%99%82%E5%8B%A2/ 

香港教育大學除了提供師範培訓以外，亦開辦社會科學等課程。其中包括由亞洲及政策研究學系開辦的公共政策及管理碩士(Master of Public Policy and Management, MPPM)。課程著重理論與實踐結合教學模式，涉獵廣泛公共政策元素。另外，課程提供三大專業方向讓學員自由選擇，分別為管治及公共管理；社會政策；以及高等教育政策。 對於現時愈來愈多年青人投身政府部門甚至從政，公共政策及管理碩士副課程主任肖漢宇博士指年青人參政需要三大能力：首先要深入瞭解政策過程，培養自身分析能力及批判思維；其次要深入社區，理解市民需要；最後，以全球化角度思考問題，加以不同學科及背景的角度分析。課程其中一個必修科目「戰略溝通」教導學員與公眾及傳媒溝通，亦是現時公共部門需要改進之處。 肖博士亦表示課程有四大特色：

• 課程設計方向的集中政策研究，討論及比較不同國家的社會及公共政策；
• 學系與逾50間機構合作，為學員提供實習機會，合作機構包括：香港紅十字會、香港美國商會等；

• 學系安排學員到不同政府部門及機構採訪，讓學員瞭解相關政策運行，如立法會、房委會、醫管局等，另定期邀請前政府官員或學者到校舉辦講座
• 學系非常鼓勵學員積極參與公共政策分析比賽，以訓練學員政策分析能力。
• 課程為優秀學員提供獎學金，包括：公共政策與管理碩士學術獎學金及公共政策與管理碩士非本地學生住宿獎學金。

課程查詢方式： 網址：https://www.eduhk.hk/aps/mppm 

電話：(852) 2948 7845 

電郵：mppm@eduhk.hk 

微信：apsmaster 

本文轉載自明報《青年不再政治冷感        研公共政策造時勢》一文，略有刪改。 原文: https://jupas.mingpao.com/postgrad/%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E4%B8%8D%E5%86%8D%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E5%86%B7%E6%84%9F-%E7%A0%94%E5%85%AC%E5%85%B1%E6%94%BF%E7%AD%96%E9%80%A0%E6%99%82%E5%8B%A2/