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Mention
Dr Angela Chiu Kwan-hung's name in any conversation, and you
will hear responses like "My son/daughter who is now
doing very well at such and such university (or school) went
to her kindergarten as a little child. It was one of the best
decisions I ever made". Talk to any kindergarten principal,
head teacher or teacher, and they will tell you how much they
have been inspired by Dr Chiu's expertise, experience, dedication
and enormous energy in providing children in Hong Kong with
high quality education and care. Go into any kindergarten
and you will hear children singing songs written by Dr Chiu,
or browse through the children's library and you will see
her name on story books, as well as publications for teachers
and parents. Dr Chiu's impact on early childhood education
in Hong Kong has been widespread, longstanding and unsurpassed.
Dr
Chiu is one of the very first pioneers of kindergarten education
in Hong Kong and has made significant contributions to the
field for nearly half a century. She began her career in kindergarten
teaching in Hong Kong in the 1950s, after completing specialist
studies in early childhood education at the Ginling College
in Nanjing and Lingnan University in the China Mainland. Since
then Dr Chiu has devoted herself tirelessly to the promotion
of excellence in early childhood education in Hong Kong. Over
the last 40 years she has established more than ten highly
successful kindergartens and childcare centres, many of which
are non-profit-making institutions run by various church groups
and alumni associations. Particularly admirable are her untiring
efforts in providing leadership in setting up new kindergartens
and working very closely with staff to achieve high quality
outcomes, before moving on to build up another reputable kindergarten.
She now still serves as principal, supervisor, or school manager
for nearly twenty kindergartens, nurseries as well as primary
and secondary schools in Hong Kong.
Dr
Chiu is a visionary educator. She has long been an advocate
of child-centred, developmentally appropriate and activity-based
programmes that emphasise love, care, and respect for children,
and that aim to optimise children's potential, stimulate interest
in learning, and promote confidence and independence in children.
Dr Chiu has a profound understanding of what children need
at each stage of their mental and physical development and
what should be done to meet these needs. Right from the beginning
of her career she has been able to provide leadership to the
early childhood education field by advocating the right kind
of educational environment to optimise children's remarkable
creative potential. Her commitment to family-school partnership
also dates back to the 1950s.
It
is only in recent years that the Government and the community
has begun to recognise the vital importance of early childhood
education for the overall healthy development of society,
but Dr Chiu has worked persistently throughout her career
to advocate this. Over the years she has developed a vast
pool of innovative instructional resources. She has written
and edited over 300 children's books, songs and nursery rhymes,
and designed a number of instructional packages to assist
the implementation of the activity approach, thematic teaching,
and integrated curricula. These resources have been widely
adopted in the field.
Dr
Chiu's impact on the professional development of early childhood
teachers is unparalleled. Many kindergarten principals, head
teachers and teachers currently working in the field were
once her students or have come under her influence at one
time or another, through working under her or through the
speeches and lectures that she has given. In the 1960s, Dr
Chiu set up the Hong Kong Christian Kindergarten Teachers'
Association and still serves as its Honorary Chairperson.
In recent years, Dr Chiu has been actively involved in early
childhood education in the Mainland, too, serving as a consultant
for kindergartens and giving lectures at universities and
training institutions in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou.
The
fact that the first Outstanding Educator Award goes to a highly
esteemed early childhood educator in Hong Kong symbolises
a recognition of the importance of early childhood education
as the foundation for lifelong learning. This is one of the
Institute's key guiding principles. Furthermore, Dr Chiu's
philosophy of early childhood education exactly matches the
Institute's vision of "Optimising Each Child's Potential
Through the Shared Joy of Learning and Teaching". Early
childhood education in Hong Kong has been a long-neglected
and under valued area. The Institute is committed to the promotion
of high quality early childhood education in Hong Kong and
what could be more appropriate than giving this special recognition
to Dr Chiu who has dedicated her whole career to education
and care services for young children that embody true excellence.
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