UNESCO Chair Online Seminar Series 2021/22

October 2022

UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning: Forum on the Futures of Education

The UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning: Forum on the Futures of Education was concluded successfully on 30 September 2022. This online forum was organised by Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning at EdUHK with the support of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and UNESCO Headquarters, involving 25 experts from the UNESCO Offices and 18 universities on mainland China and Hong Kong.

In November 2021, the International Commission on the Futures of Education released a report, Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education and its executive summary. The UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning proposed to host this Forum on the Report soon after its release with a theme of “Schools, teachers and basic education in China: Looking to the future”. Taking this opportunity, the Chair would like to raise awareness and promote discussion of the themes contained in the Report within China and the region, building on and extending a previous university initiative that involved senior university managers from around the Pacific.

The occasion was honoured by the presence of Professor Shahbaz KHAN, Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Beijing, and Mr Sobhi TAWIL, Director of Future of Learning and Innovation at UNESCO, who delivered the welcoming remark and the introduction of the Forum.

Four renowned speakers presented insightful keynote speeches at the Forum. The keynote speakers, including Professor John Chi-Kin LEE, UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning of EdUHK, Professor Huan SONG, Director of Institute of Teacher Education Research at the Beijing Normal University, Professor Yuhua BU, Deputy Head of Institute of Schooling Reform and Development at the East China Normal University and Professor Zeyuan YU, Vice-Dean of Faculty of Teacher Education at the Southwest University, shared their invaluable views on future education in China.

Following the keynote speeches, four breakout sessions were arranged in parallel enabling invited participants to exchange ideas and make recommendations for future education in China with different foci on “Future Teachers”, “Future Schools and Schooling” and “Basic Education in China”.

The Forum attracted students and staff from EdUHK and other local, mainland China and overseas universities, as well as members of the UNESCO and SEAMEO networks.  Positive feedback was received from participants via a post-event online survey. The stimulating breakout group discussion and the insights shared by the keynote speakers inspired the participants. They were in general very satisfied with the Forum and agreed that the Forum was useful for understanding the development of future education and for fostering potential collaborations. The conference presentations and discussions will be made available online for wider dissemination and future reference.

A booklet serving as a collection of the Forum is now available, with contributions from the Keynote Speakers, Coordinators of each Breakout Session on the conference theme, as well as their review for the Future of Education report “Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education”.

Please click here to download the Forum booklet.

Please enjoy the recap of the UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning: Forum on the Futures of Education.   

01 Opening
Professor Shahbaz KHAN
Director, UNESCO Cluster Office in Beijing

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=75240b26-9494-406a-adc2-af3f006ab2e1

02 Introduction
Professor John Chi-Kin LEE
UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=ed364d83-c0f6-4b8f-84e0-af3f006ab343

03 Introductory Keynote
Futures of Education – A New Social Contract: UNESCO Looks Ahead
Mr Sobhi TAWIL
Director, Future of Learning and Innovation, UNESCO

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=9cfac27c-b40f-484d-a285-afbd00156ffd

04 Keynote Speech 1
Looking into the Future: Implications of UNESCO Futures of Education Report for Chinese Educational Development
Professor John Chi-Kin LEE 
UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=018a4708-bc72-4b22-b729-af3f006ad102

05 Keynote Speech 2
Teacher Preparation in China: Main Achievements and Perspectives
Professor Huan SONG
Director, Institute of Teacher Education Research
Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University 

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=4d1c1dba-5d1a-4f38-bdaa-af3f006ae97e

06 Keynote Speech 3 (To be conducted in Chinese)
Current State, Potential Risks and Foresight Tasks of Future School Exploration in China
Professor Yuhua BU 
Institute of Schooling Reform and Development
Department of Education
East China Normal University

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=fe7431b1-3d22-4366-9603-af3f006b0209

06 Keynote Speech 3 (To be conducted in English)
Current State, Potential Risks and Foresight Tasks of Future School Exploration in China
Professor Yuhua BU 
Institute of Schooling Reform and Development
Department of Education
East China Normal University

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=93d2a983-1e81-40a0-a5b0-af3f006c59a0

07 Keynote Speech 4
New Curriculum Standards and the Future of Chinese Schools 
Professor Zeyuan YU 
Vice-Dean, Faculty of Teacher Education
Southwest University

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=c088d36b-d724-41d7-ad77-af3f006cca16

08 Breakout Session 1: Future Teachers

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=8cc43e73-b0eb-43e4-afaa-af3f006d7fc1

09 Breakout Session 2: Future Schools and Schooling

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=345bc2d1-d85f-4b86-ae1e-af3f006dff73

10 Breakout Session 3: Basic Education in China

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=b9599d80-d7d2-46fc-9c34-af3f006e3485

11 Breakout Session 4: Basic Education in China (To be conducted in English)

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=c1a25b5c-fb23-49d0-b178-af3f006e422b

12 Report back from Breakout Group 1
Professor May Hung CHENG
Chair Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=0663c996-6d68-413c-aeba-af3f006ebe4e

13 Report back from Breakout Group 2
Dr Junjun CHEN
Associate Professor, Department of Education Policy and Leadership
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=ba37c424-26dd-4ba6-8693-af3f0070e091

14 Report back from Breakout Group 3
Dr Zi YAN
Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=581b8f9d-dc2a-4c1f-9d8c-af3f0073a0de

15 Report back from Breakout Group 4
Professor Kerry KENNEDY 
Emeritus Professor, Advisor (Academic Development) 
Department of Curriculum and Instruction
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=01f411f4-56fe-45f3-89d4-af3f007592ef

16 Concluding Remarks and Future direction
Professor John Chi-Kin LEE 
UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning
The Education University of Hong Kong

https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=de5b2c25-38b9-4485-9517-af3f006ab2b7

UNESCO Chair Online Seminar Series 2021/22: Asian Perspectives on Education for the Future 

Organised by Professor John Lee, the UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning at EdUHK, the first two seminars of the UNESCO Chair Online Seminar Series 2021/22: Asian Perspectives on Education for the Future were concluded successfully on 26 November 2021 and 31 March 2022 respectively. We were immensely honoured by the insightful keynote speeches of Mr Sobhi Tawil, Director of Future of Learning & Innovation Team at UNESCO and Dr Ethel Agnes Pascua-Valenzuela, Director of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) Secretariat.

Attending the seminars were students and staff from EdUHK and other local and overseas Higher Education institutions, as well as friends and colleagues from the UNESCO and SEAMEO networks. The seminars provided a platform for the Chair, the keynote speakers, panelists and other participants to exchange views on the perspectives on the future of education.

In the first seminar, Mr. Tawil shared his views and insights on the topic of “Between Past Promises and Uncertain Futures: A new social contract for education”. He also discussed the proposed vision and principles of this new social contract, as well as the implications for the organisation of learning in his keynote presentation. Dr Ethel Valenzuela, Director of SEAMEO Secretariat; Professor John Lee; Professor Bruce Macfarlane; Professor Eric Tsang; and Professor Kerry Kennedy of EdUHK were the panelists.

In the second seminar, Dr Valenzuela shared her views and insights on the topic of “Asian Educational Reform and Development: Perspectives from the SEAMEO”. She also discussed the present trends, challenges and Education 2050 aspirations for countries in Southeast Asia so that every learner will have the chance to go school, to learn and have relevant lifelong learning enabling countries to build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic. The active participation of the PhD students from Southeast Asia/ Belt and Road countries of EdUHK in the panel discussion facilitated a fruitful exchange and contributed to the great success of the event.

The event was well attended online. Positive feedback was received from participants via post-seminar online surveys. Most participants were very satisfied with the seminar and found the content very useful and informative.

For interested parties, please see the video links of the seminars below.  More details of the third seminar will be announced in due course. Please stay tuned.

First Seminar of UNESCO Chair Online Series 2021/22 on 26 Nov 2021 (Fri) - "Between Past Promises and Uncertain Futures: A new social contract for education" (In English): https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=f435d479-35ff-4faa-b2c7-ae7f00670131

Second Seminar of UNESCO Chair Online Series on 31 March 2022 (Thu) - “Asian Educational Reform and Development: Perspectives from the SEAMEO” (In English): https://eduhk.ap.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=e1f458d4-349e-4b5f-b6fb-ae7f00670798