HSBC continues to support Early Childhood Education exchange programmes 12/2006-4/2007 Over 210 students in Early Childhood Education attended exchange programmes under the Educational Visit to Mainland China 2006-07 banner held in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou between December 2006 and April 2007. Through their participation in arts, music and dance workshops, HKIEd delegates gained valuable insight into the current development of early childhood education on the Mainland. At the same time, academic staff and students from The China Women's College also visited HKIEd to convene a number of seminars and workshops in March this year. These exchange programmes have enhanced cooperation prospects between Hong Kong and the Mainland in early childhood education development. A total of 130 HKIEd staff and students benefited from these activities.

With the introduction of a voucher system for early childhood education providers, these institutions are required to carry out regular self-assessment, to achieve continuous self-enhancement. To this end, HKIEd has established the Centre for Early Childhood Research and Development to provide tailor-made professional development programmes for in-service teachers in early childhood education. The Centre was formed to enhance the professional knowledge and skills of early childhood institutions in both self-assessment and assessment of the children. On 18 May 2007, an opening ceremony cum service briefing session for the Centre was held on campus. A total of around 300 school principals from 180 early childhood institutions attended the occasion. The Centre expects to provide continuous on-site support and assessment training on the formulation and execution of self-advancement plans, to 60 institutions between the 2007-08 academic year.

More than 170 students and their parents from several major Chinese cities attended HKIEd's first "Mainland Students Consultation Day" organised by the Centre for International Education. The number of Mainland students enrolling for first-degree courses has risen from just a few dozen in 2000 to over 500 this year. The dramatic increase highlights the confidence that Mainland students have in HKIEd's strengths in teacher education. Students who came for the Consultation Day toured our campus facilities and made enquiries with regard to applications to the various departments and centres. In addition, the Centre arranged for current HKIEd students from the Mainland to share their experiences with the eager visitors. On-site applications and interviews were also held. Mainland students are known for their diligence and solid academic foundations, while local students are better known for their flexibility and creativeness. Therefore, when students from both sides of the border work together, they complement one another and bring about mutual benefits.

After winning the Liberty Cup at the Hong Kong Inter-varsity Debating Competition in April, the HKIEd Debate Team accepted yet another challenge from the Liberal Party. Braving strong opposition from district councillors and practising professionals, the HKIEd team sent four new members to the debating platform, giving these first-year students a chance to broaden their experience. After several rounds of heated exchange and cogent argument, HKIEd students Joe Chow Ying-lai, Yuen Ka-fai, Leung Chak-yue and Yip Chui-ming beat the Liberal Party camp with a score of 24:19, to win the Liberty Cup Challenge Event championship. The tremendous success of HKIEd's Debate Team is due to the whole-hearted cooperation and soaring team spirit of its members. The contests were an enlightening process in themselves, as team members also learned a great deal from their opponents on excellent communication and presentation skills.