The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, led a delegation of representatives of the University Grants Committee (UGC) and UGC-funded universities to attend the NAFSA Annual Conference & Expo in New Orleans, the United States, on May 29 (New Orleans time) to exchange views on the latest developments, strategies and best practices in education with global education experts, and explore collaboration opportunities between Hong Kong and different parts of the world in the area of higher education.
In her speech on "Study in Hong Kong" in a seminar of the event, Dr Choi promoted the competitive edges of Hong Kong as an international post-secondary education hub to overseas partners. She said that Hong Kong is a diverse cosmopolitan city with a highly internationalised higher-education sector. With talented students and esteemed academics from across the world calling Hong Kong their academic home, Hong Kong has become a cradle for future talent.
She pointed out that with the support of national policies, Hong Kong's higher-education sector has been actively complementing the development of the "eight centres". Coupled with the Government's substantial investment and the industry's concerted efforts, Hong Kong provides diversified development opportunities for both local and overseas students. Hong Kong enjoys the dual advantage of being close to the motherland and connected to the world, providing overseas academics and students with a wide array of opportunities. She welcomed overseas counterparts to explore collaboration with Hong Kong's higher-education sector.
Speaking at the seminar, the Secretary-General of the UGC, Professor James Tang, shared insights about the strengths of the UGC-funded universities as well as the latest developments in the areas of teaching and learning, including the launch of the Fund for Innovative Technology-in-Education with a funding allocation of $100 million by the UGC last year to provide impetus for universities to apply artificial intelligence in transforming pedagogies and enriching students' learning experiences. In the Research Assessment Exercise 2020, around 80 per cent of impact-case studies were rated as "outstanding" or "considerable", the two highest levels. These examples attest to the high quality and impact of research conducted by Hong Kong's higher-education sector.
In addition, Dr Choi visited the Hong Kong Pavilion, which was set up by the Heads of Universities Committee Standing Committee on Internationalisation (HUCOMSCI) and funded by the UGC, to learn about the proactive work of the publicly funded universities in expanding their global network as well as their promotion efforts in recruiting overseas students for further studies in Hong Kong. She also visited booths of various countries and regions at the Expo, and exchanged views with representatives of the China Education Association for International Exchange, the Department for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation, the Qatar Foundation, the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia and the National Agency for Exchange and Mobility of Switzerland on the development and promotion of post-secondary education.
On May 30 (New Orleans time), Dr Choi attended the "Study in Hong Kong" lunch reception organised by the HUCOMSCI. She introduced to overseas education experts the unique advantages of Hong Kong in developing into an international post-secondary education hub, and encouraged more exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong and the rest of the world on higher-education development.
She said that Hong Kong has sound education infrastructure, outstanding research talent and strong capabilities in scientific research, and is the only city worldwide with five universities in the world's top 100. The quality of teaching and learning is at the forefront of various international comparative studies, and the brand name of quality education is widely recognised and acknowledged locally and internationally.
She pointed out that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government supports the expansion and quality enhancement of local post-secondary institutions to attract more Mainland and overseas students to study in Hong Kong, so as to promote internationalisation and multi-cultural experiences, and at the same time enable students to have a broader international perspective and diversified choices of development and pathways. In addition, the HKSAR Government has set a target of having 35 per cent of students in UGC-funded programmes pursuing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) subjects, nurturing talent for supporting Hong Kong's development in digital economy. She looked forward to the fostering of closer collaboration between renowned education institutions around the world and Hong Kong's higher-education sector. She also welcomed more international students to participate in exchange activities in Hong Kong.
Dr Choi will begin her visit to New York on May 31 (New York Time).
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