Reflecting on his own school days, Professor Lee recounts how three teachers in his primary and secondary school days not only influenced his outlook, but also changed the course of his life. The teachers whom Professor Lee speaks so highly of bear several common traits - they nurtured students under a strict regimen but they were well-intentioned and always looked after their students with love and care; they thus commanded a great deal of respect from their pupils.

The first teacher was Dr Chan Bing-cho, who taught Professor Lee Chinese in Primary 6. He is also the retired head of the HKIEd's Chinese Department. Professor Lee describes Dr Chan as "strict but soft-hearted". Feeling sometimes frustrated by, and often fearful of Dr Chan at his young age, it took years for Professor Lee to discover that everything his teacher did was for the ultimate good of his students.
The second teacher was Ms Lam Leung-ching, who taught Professor Lee Geography for a year. Professor Lee describes himself as an average student who was keen on extra-curricular activities, and unlikely to get into university. But seeing his ability and potential, Ms Lam invited Professor Lee to live in her own home for the last month and a half before his university entrance exams. Her faith was not misplaced - Professor Lee was successfully admitted to the Arts Faculty of The University of Hong Kong (HKU), majoring in Chinese Literature.

The last teacher whom Professor Lee speaks of at such length is Mr Wu Bing-chiu, who taught him Chinese and Chinese History from Form 1 to Form 7. Outside the classroom, Mr Wu instructed him in Chinese calligraphy and he was also mentor of the Christian Fellowship group. His philosophy towards life, meticulous working attitude and personal integrity cast a lifelong influence on Professor Lee. Given his performance, experience and the wide respect he won at school, Mr Wu was well-qualified for further career advancement. However he preferred to stay close to his students, whom he tended with loving care and strict discipline. Upon his retirement as Vice Principal, students and alumni alike joined hands to throw Mr Wu a warm and heart-felt farewell party. Years later, Professor Lee continues to reiterate that if not for Mr Wu, he would not have become the person he is today nor formed his existing values and judgments.

Professor Lee's post-doctoral research areas started with the Faculty of Education at HKU, where he taught Philosophy of Education and Comparative Education. Apart from the then available programmes on education administration and pedagogy, he found that the areas of values education, civic education and moral education were missing. He thus began delving into these subjects himself. The research opened up new horizons for him and resulted in the introduction of a Master's programme in Values Education, which he heralded at HKU's Faculty of Education in 1994. The new programme brought him a great deal of attention from the education sector as well as the government in the pre-handover period.

In 1995, he was invited to serve as a member of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, becoming a key drafter of two chapters - Concepts and Curriculum - in the Guidelines on Civic Education in School. In the final days before Hong Kong's handover, the promotion of civic education was often the subject of heated debate between the different camps advocating either human rights or national education. Saddened by the political bickering and yet feeling that his role as a scholar could fill the gap, Professor Lee worked hard to adeptly turn the controversy into an intellectual discourse, where both propositions could find a balancing point. With the accomplishment of this task, Professor Lee was invited that same year to the IEA-organised International Conference on Civic Education attended by delegates from 28 countries. He subsequently joined the IEA Civic Education Study as a member of its International Steering Committee.

In his new role as Acting President and Vice President (Academic), his belief in citizenship education continues to underpin his management philosophy.

Left: Professor Lee masters the sophisticated art of Chinese calligraphy, thanks to the tutelage of Mr Wu Bing-chiu.

As an internationally renowned scholar, Professor Lee has a number of incisive comments on education in Hong Kong. Having worked and studied in the west, he frequently comes across overseas educators who speak highly of Hong Kong students. They are top performers, particularly in mathematics and other science-related subjects. It is not unusual for the public exam grades of Hong Kong's students to be upwardly adjusted to reflect the high standards achieved, when measured against similar levels in western countries. As such, Professor Lee calls on the Hong Kong community to be fair, and be more appreciative of what the education system has achieved for our children.