Religious and Spirituality Education
The local education system has often been criticised for over-emphasising the importance of academic achievement at the expense of other worthwhile pursuits. This orientation mirrors the wider Hong Kong value judgement, of success and materialistic gains as being the ultimate goals in life. Notwithstanding this social climate, many schools run by religious organisations in Hong Kong have been keen to promote an alternative view of life amongst their young pupils. They do so by focusing on religious and spirituality education, in accordance with their respective religious beliefs. However statistics reveal that most teachers in religious and ethical studies have no relevant training in these areas. To fill this gap, I believe the Institute's Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education is ideally poised to help both pre-service and in-service teachers, with its programmes in religious education, corresponding teacher education, as well as the many activities it organises to benefit spirituality well-being.

Small Class Teaching
A few years ago, when the subject of small class teaching was first brought up in Hong Kong, there was heated debate as to its value in aiding pupil learning. As a stronghold in teacher education, we have been exploring this approach in partnership with eight local schools. With the establishment of the Centre for Development and Research in Small Class Teaching in February 2006, the Centre has made progress on a number of fronts, reaching new heights with its organisation of the International Symposium on Class Size, held on 10 February 2007. At the Symposium, the empirical research and experiences shared by scholars from Britain and the US, where small class teaching has long been practised, helped to shed light on the subject to educators on the mainland, in Macau, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Graduate Employment
On more than one occasion I met the parent of a 2005 graduate, who kept saying “Both my daughter and I are very grateful for the education she received at the HKIEd.” The remarks of this proud mother reflect in part, the outstanding career prospects of our graduates in 2006. I am gratified to be able to highlight that almost 100% (99.3%) of our graduates in 2006 are employed or pursuing further studies. These are the highest figures yet since the Graduate Employment Survey was introduced in 1998.

Students Application
Similar to the encouraging employment rate, I am glad to report that the Institute also sees a huge increase of up to 80% in the number of applications received, for its undergraduate, post-graduate diploma and Master of Education programmes. The soaring applications figures are testimony again to the quality of the Institute programmes, which is also mirrored in the popularity of our graduates in the employment market.

Break Through in Donations
In conclusion, I am delighted to report on the tremendous progress of our Third Matching Grant Scheme. As of mid-March 2007, the Institute had successfully raised $31 million, a figure which will be doubled by the Government. This sum represents a 40.9% increase compared to the donations raised in the previous scheme. These wonderful results are due to the concerted efforts of our staff, alumni, students and the wider education community.

I am confident that with the funds raised, our students will benefit in their future learning activities. More importantly, with our endeavours on the academic front, I am most optimistic that the Institute will continue its role as a major player in the education sector, making a significant contribution to the entire school community in the run up to Hong Kong's education reforms.