In the award presentation ceremony Professor Lo spoke about education reform.�@She appealed to policy-makers to be aware of the great responsibilities which teachers bear, to pay due respect to the professional judgment of teachers, and avoid making over hasty- and over frequent-reforms. Her speech aroused considerable public debate.

Following receipt of the Award, Professor Lo gave a public lecture with the title "Equipping Teachers in a Knowledge-based Economy" on January 17, 2004. Over 300 participants were drawn to the Institute's Taipo campus for the lecture. Professor Lo spoke about the role of educators today. Teachers, she said, must understand current social tides, be willing to explore new ideas, be flexible and design lessons which are enjoyable so as to garner students' attention.

Professor Lo sees education as a communicative art. Educators, she believes, must see themselves as exponents of this art. Apart from acquiring competence in teaching skill, an educator must have high aspirations for education and be willing to make sacrifices and to persevere in life-long learning.

(A video clip of Professor Lo's speech is available at www.ied.edu.hk/oea2003).