No institution of note can reach its full potential
by working in isolation. We believe that a global network
of partners with whom we interact in conferences, exchanges
and collaborative ventures is essential for the Institute's
growth as a centre of quality education recognised both
in Hong Kong and overseas.
First, such activities offer us international benchmarks
for excellence in teacher education. In that way we
know the teachers we produce and the staff who train
them are using the best practices available globally.
In turn, the Institute can demonstrate its leadership
role by reaching out and sharing our experiences with
the education community throughout the region and further
afield.
We also use the strength of our own people to forge
effective partnerships with schools and institutions
internationally, through exchange schemes for world-class
scholars and with Institute staff engaging in collaborative
research and development projects.
Forging international links
Activities at the Centre for Research and International
Collaboration (CRIC) typify our commitment to using
international ties for the betterment of our own staff,
students and the Institute as a whole. Look around our
campus, and you will find many other Schools and departments
engaged in similar activities.
In November CRIC played host to a group of visiting
teaching professionals. They came from Ru Yuan county
in the Mainland as part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange
Project. Insights and ideas on education development
in Hong Kong and China were discussed as well as future
collaboration.
That was followed in December by the arrival of a delegation
from the Rajabhat Institute Surat Thani of Thailand,
where the same themes were discussed. A memorandum of
understanding was signed on academic collaboration which
will benefit staff and students of both parties and
enhance the Institute's image internationally. Similar
outcomes are expected from agreements reached this year
with ACENZ, the Association of Colleges of Education
in New Zealand, representatives of which visited our
campus in March, and with Auckland University of Technology
in New Zealand.
Developing a
global network through co-organisation and sponsorship
of conferences
This kind of meaningful contact and collaboration at
an institutional level is one method employed by the
Institute to build regional and global ties. Another
was the organisation, co-organisation and sponsorship
of conferences mainly in Asia but with some as far afield
as Australia, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
One such collaboration was the Second International
Conference on Education Research of the Institute of
Asia Pacific Education Development in Seoul, Korea.
Other HKIEd co-sponsored conferences included the International
Forum of Democratic Citizenship Education, organised
by the Korean Educational Development Institute, and
the UNESCO-ACEID International Conference on Education
in Bangkok which this year chose the powerful potential
of information communication technologies as its theme.
In April 2002, CRIC helped promote the Asia Pacific
Regional Conference on Indicators of Education Performance
held in Melbourne. In June, the Institute joined the
British Government's Department for Education and Skills,
King's College, University of East Anglia, London, Oxford,
Cambridge and RSA Examinations and the World ORT in
sponsoring the Tenth International Conference on Thinking
in Harrogate, England.
|
