This is my seventh review as Chairman of the Council, and I am most delighted to note that this has been a momentous year for our Institute.

First and foremost is the progress made towards attaining university status. With the positive recommendation from the University Grants Committee (UGC), the Institute is now very close to achieving this important milestone in our growth and development, and a University Title Taskforce, with members drawn from staff, students, alumni and stakeholders of the Institute was formed during the year to make the necessary preparations. At its October meeting, the Council discussed, among other issues, the Taskforce’s recommendations, and decided to adopt “The Education University of Hong Kong” as the name of this future university after comprehensive deliberation. The decision to embed “Education” into our title is a reaffirmation of our vision and mission for this future university, and our determination to play a distinctive and leading role in the higher education sector.

The second and equally encouraging development is the significant improvement in our position in the world. The Institute now ranks third in Asia and 15th in the world in Education, according to the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2015, and this is resounding proof that our strengths and capacity in Education is internationally recognised.

The third item of good news is the Institute’s impressive performance on the research front. Despite very keen competition among the local universities for the Research Grants Council’s research funding and the UGC’s allocated Research Postgraduate places, the Institute has made significant gains, details of which will be given in the President’s overview.

These exciting changes during the year are solid evidence of the advances we have made on our path to becoming an Education-focused, multidisciplinary and research-strong institution. In the transformation process, we remain keenly aware of, and take great pride in adhering to “Education” as our core mission, as we soon begin the next stage of our evolution into a full-fledged university. At a time when members of the community have raised concerns about the erosion in Hong Kong’s competitiveness, there is a pressing need for many more and better teachers to groom future talent for our city. The evolution of the Institute into a university will enable us to better attract and recruit high-calibre students and faculty, and enhance the overall status and competence of professional teachers, which will ultimately lead to a strengthening of the competitiveness of our community.

The change of the Institute’s title to university will necessitate revisiting our future strategies and plans. To this end, the Council and senior management will comprehensively review our future road map and milestones at a retreat to be held in early 2016. The new strategic plan will guide our development over the next few years.

During my many years of service on the Council of the Institute, initially as a member, then Treasurer and finally Chairman of the Council, I have been privileged to have worked with so many dedicated and hard-working members of the Council, senior management, staff and students. At different times of our development we have shared many memorable moments and overcome many difficulties together, all of which now form part of our rich history and have transformed HKIEd into a much stronger institution.

I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all outgoing members of the Council, including Miss Kathy Wong, Dr Eric Li, Dr Susan Fan, Mr Teddy Tang, Mrs Vigneron-Chan Sin-man, Professor Dennis McInerney, Professor Laurance Splitter and Professor Joshua Mok for their outstanding contributions to the Institute, and extend a warm welcome to incoming Council members Mr Franky Leung, Dr Chiu Cheung-ki, Ms Imma Ling, Dr Grace Poon, Dr Kwok Ping-wai, Professor Bob Adamson and Mr Li Chin-wa.

We look forward to obtaining the Executive Council’s approval for our retitling, to be followed by the passage of the necessary amendments to The Hong Kong Institute of Education Ordinance through the Legislative Council. Without underestimating the complexity and challenges of the process, I have every confidence that the entire Institute community will be working in unison, as it always does, to attain the realisation of our long-held goal of achieving university status.

Building on the outstanding performance and solid foundation laid in 2015 as well as in years past, I am certain that this future university will be an institution which exudes confidence and excellence, attracting the best talent in the academic world, and aspiring young people to join the ranks of its students and alumni, and helping to raise the quality of “Education” in Hong Kong and in the region to new heights.

Mr Pang Yiu-kai, SBS, JP
Chairman of the Council
December 2015