I am pleased to report that this has been a highly encouraging year for the Institute, with very good news from the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject and the University Grants Committee supporting us in our university title pursuit. I would like to share these exciting developments in this overview.
New Dimensions in Education and Beyond
In anticipation of the upcoming demand for secondary school teachers in History, Mathematics, Business, Accounting and Financial Studies, the Institute added new dimensions to its programme offerings during the year, and developed three new University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded Bachelor of Education programmes in the aforesaid areas, launched in 2015-16. They are: the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in History, the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Secondary) in Mathematics, and the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Business, Accounting and Financial Studies. Other new programmes that we plan to offer in 2016 and the subsequent three years are the Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Chinese History, Geography and Science, as well as the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Special Education and Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, and the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) in Global and Hong Kong Studies, among others. The introduction of these programmes attests to the ongoing growth and development of the Institute in teacher education and beyond.
To advance the quality of education, the Institute has continued to expand the scale of its partnerships with major school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) in Hong Kong. During the year, we signed collaborative agreements with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Taoist Association and Hong Chi Association. Including these newly sealed agreements, 11 SSBs* representing 33 per cent of the primary, secondary and special schools and 25 per cent of the kindergartens in Hong Kong have entered into partnerships with the Institute.
Education matters, as it will have a long-lasting impact on the future generations and the society at large. Recognising the importance of education, I initiated the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Group and Focus Groups, whereby educators and leaders from various sectors are brought together to give invaluable advice and provide insightful views. With the advisors’ wealth of knowledge and experience, I am confident that not only the Institute, but also the entire education and wider communities, will benefit and be reinvigorated with fresh perspectives.
Guided by the same spirit, during the year the Institute established a high-level platform – the HKIEd Foundation – to tap the support of the wider community in advancing the quality of teacher education, learning and teaching, and research at the Institute. The inauguration of the HKIEd Foundation on 27 April 2015 was graced by the presence of Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR Government, as our Guest of Honour. She witnessed the formal establishment of the Foundation with more than 400 friends and supporters of the Institute, including leading figures from the business and education sectors, principal government officials and consuls general, in addition to staff, scholarship recipients and their parents.
New Highs in Research
The Institute continues to perform well on the research front. In the latest 2015-16 research funding applications, with results released by the Research Grants Council (RGC) in late June 2015, the Institute was awarded 47 projects, successfully securing a total of HK$25.5 million, representing a significant increase of 40 per cent when compared with the last funding cycle.
While we remain first in Education, as in the last round, in terms of the number of funded projects and awarded amounts, the Institute has other causes for celebration. First, we excelled in Psychology and Linguistics, a subject discipline newly introduced by the Institute under the “Education-plus” vision. Second, many of our emerging young academics successfully secured funding for research projects under the Early Career Scheme, for which applications are assessed by a standard as rigorous as the General Research Fund intended for established academics.
In terms of Research Postgraduate (RPg) places, the Institute also attained new heights. For the 2015-16 academic year, 50 RPg places will be allocated to the Institute. Due to the Institute’s proven research performance, the UGC will allocate 67 RPg places to the Institute in 2016-17, representing an increase of 34 per cent and 46 per cent respectively in comparison with the 2015-16 and 2014-15 academic years. The increase in RPg places is based on the award results of RGC funding schemes in the past three years from July 2012 to June 2015, and the results of the latest Research Assessment Exercise, among others. This impressive development is a reflection of the Institute’s transformed research strength and capacity.
University Subject Rankings
At the Institute, we work with great determination to excel in both learning and teaching and research. Although we have not the slightest intention of pursuing university rankings as ultimate targets, the results provide some objective points of reference for our performance in the global context. In the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2015, the Institute emerged third in Asia and 15th in the world in Education. Our world position is a great encouragement and at the same time testimony to the Institute’s significant progress in transforming its capacities on all fronts over recent years.
University Title
In September 2015, when this Report was under preparation, the UGC submitted its review report to the Education Bureau, recommending that a university title be awarded to the Institute. All members of the Institute community were thrilled to learn of the exciting news. The UGC recommendation reaffirms the overall capacity of the Institute since we embarked on our transformation path guided by the “Education-plus” vision. The outcome proves that the stand-alone option we chose in 2009, albeit with the many difficulties and challenges that came with it, was correct and that our hard work has eventually paid off.
The attainment of a university title is the collective and persistent effort of the entire Institute community. The senior management and I are deeply grateful for the steering and wise counsel of the Council, as well as the patience, understanding and support of every member of the Institute, throughout these years of transformation.
The award of the university title will not mean a change of name alone. Rather, it will represent our pledge, once again, to have Education as our core mission and to dedicate the future university – one of the finest institutions in Asia – to the advancement of Education in Hong Kong and beyond.
Professor Stephen Y.L. Cheung, BBS, JP
President
December 2015
* The other eight partners are the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong; Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui; the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China; the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Po Leung Kuk; the Methodist Church, Hong Kong; the Hong Kong Buddhist Association; and Yan Oi Tong.
