EdUHK and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Establish Joint Centre for English Language Education and Leadership
Advancing Teacher Education and Educational Cooperation along the Maritime Silk Road
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) have established the Joint Centre for English Language Education and Leadership, creating a strategic platform to advance English language education, teacher professional development and educational leadership across Southeast Asia.
The Joint Centre was officially inaugurated at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education of Indonesia in Jakarta on 5 November 2026. Witnessed by Professor Abdul Mu’ti, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of Indonesia, and Professor Atip Latipulhayat, Vice Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of Indonesia, the ceremony brought together senior officials from the Ministry and representatives of the two universities. Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, President of EdUHK, and Professor Didi Sukyadi, Rector of UPI, signed the cooperation agreement on behalf of their respective institutions.
The EdUHK delegation comprised Dr Maxwell Ho Chun-sing, Associate Co-Director of the Academy for Educational Development and Innovation; Dr Lee Ju Seong, Associate Professor of the Department of English Language Education; and Dr Faye Wang Yifei, Project Manager for Internationalisation.
The Joint Centre will serve as a long-term platform for collaboration in English language education and educational leadership, encompassing teacher professional development, joint research, knowledge exchange and international academic collaboration.
Professor Abdul Mu’ti, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of Indonesia, welcomed the establishment of the Joint Centre, noting that the initiative aligns closely with Indonesia’s priorities in strengthening English language education, enhancing teacher professional competencies and developing school leadership capacity.
Professor Lee said, “The establishment of the Joint Centre marks an important milestone in the long-standing partnership between EdUHK and UPI. By bringing together UPI’s deep understanding of the local educational landscape and EdUHK’s strengths in teacher education, educational leadership and research, we aim to develop innovative and impactful initiatives that enhance English language education, support educators’ professional growth, and foster educational innovation and exchanges between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Indonesia. As an important partner under the Belt and Road Initiative, Indonesia is also a key location where the vision of jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road was put forward in 2013. We believe the Joint Centre will further strengthen regional educational cooperation and talent development, contributing to educational advancement in Southeast Asia and people-to-people exchanges across the region.”
In the first phase of cooperation, the Joint Centre will focus on developing, piloting and evaluating a primary English language education model in two demonstration schools in Indonesia. The initiative will provide comprehensive support through teacher training, classroom enhancement, student learning support and research guidance.
The Joint Centre reflects the shared commitment of Indonesia and Hong Kong, China to enhance English language learning outcomes, strengthen teachers’ professional capacity, support school leadership development, and create effective learning environments. The initiative builds on discussions held during Professor Lee’s visit to Indonesia in June this year, when the EdUHK delegation met with Professor Atip Latipulhayat to explore opportunities for deeper collaboration and the establishment of the Joint Centre, and the two sides reached a consensus on cooperation.
During their visit to Jakarta, Professor Lee and the EdUHK delegation also met Mr Zhou Kan, Minister of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Indonesia. The two sides exchanged views on the role of higher education institutions in supporting national development strategies within the regional cooperation framework with Indonesia, advancing education collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting people-to-people and educational exchanges.
Mr Zhou reaffirmed the Embassy’s support for EdUHK’s efforts to expand and deepen partnerships in Indonesia and expressed confidence in the University’s continued contributions to education exchange and talent development under the Belt and Road Initiative.
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