The Ministry of Education and the Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (July 4) cohosted the Mainland-Hong Kong Teachers Exchange and Collaboration Programme 20th anniversary celebration opening ceremony and conference at South China Normal University in Guangzhou. Over 400 representatives from the education departments of various Mainland provinces and municipalities, Mainland expert teachers (METs) who participated in the programme in the past, and representatives from the Hong Kong education sector attended the events.
The Deputy Director of the Office of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Mr Shu Gangbo; the Permanent Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, Ms Michelle Li; Deputy Director-General of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province Dr Feng Wei; the First-level Inspector of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government (LOCPG) in the HKSAR, Mr Liu Maozhou; and Vice President of South China Normal University Professor Yang Chengwei, officiated at the opening ceremony.
Addressing the ceremony, Ms Li said that it is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation to place importance on teaching and learning, which has been passed down from generation to generation, adding that strengthening the teaching force is the most important fundamental task for building a leading country in education.
She said that the programme had delivered fruitful results over the past 20 years, thanks to the unwavering support from the Ministry of Education; the Department of Education of Guangdong Province; the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the LOCPG in the HKSAR; and the education departments of various provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, as well as the dedication of all the METs who took part in the programme in the past. They have all contributed significantly to the education profession in both Hong Kong and the Mainland.
She said that, as this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the EDB of the HKSAR Government, with the support of the Ministry of Education, will pilot the Resource Teacher and Principal Training Programme to nurture Hong Kong teachers and principals with potential through the teacher training and exchange base at South China Normal University. The teachers and principals will also receive guidance from Mainland experts recommended by the Ministry of Education, further strengthening exchanges and collaboration between the two places and raising the quality of education with concerted efforts.
The Mainland-Hong Kong Teachers Exchange and Collaboration Programme was launched in the 2004/05 school year. Every year, the Ministry of Education selects outstanding teachers, and teaching and research fellows from different provinces and municipalities across the country, and sends them to Hong Kong to collaborate with schools and provide professional guidance on various subjects and cross-curricular areas (e.g. STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) education and Chinese culture). So far, more than 800 METs have travelled to Hong Kong and more than 1 000 Hong Kong primary and secondary schools and kindergartens have participated in the programme.
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