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The Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, today (November 8) had a fruitful meeting with the United Kingdom (UK) Secretary of State for Education, Mr Michael Gove. They reaffirmed their commitment to building a stronger partnership in education and agreed on five areas for co-operation.
Looking forward, Mr Suen said that Hong Kong is honoured to host the Going Global 2011 international education conference in March next year, the first time it will be held outside UK.
"It will be an excellent opportunity to share Hong Kong's experiences in education reform and our aspiration to further develop as a regional education hub," Mr Suen said.
Under the theme "World education: the new powerhouse?", the conference, organised by the British Council, is expected to attract over 800 global delegates from the education, business and government sectors.
"With the full support of the HKSAR Government, I have every confidence that the event will lead to fruitful collaboration of parties from all over the world," Mr Gove said.
Mr Suen expressed his appreciation for the positive response by UK universities in admitting Hong Kong students completing the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) from 2012. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has benchmarked the HKDSE as broadly comparable to the GCE A-Level.
"The positive response by UK universities will facilitate smooth articulation of Hong Kong students to the UK higher education system. We foresee more student mobility between the UK and Hong Kong in future," Mr Suen said.
Mr Suen also welcomed the presence of leading UK universities and schools in Hong Kong in widening choice and opportunities for the local community. Building on the solid foundation of UK international schools in Hong Kong, including the Harrow International School, which will set up its first international boarding school in Hong Kong in 2012, the two sides will also collaborate further in attracting leading UK school operators to set up international schools in Hong Kong.
Mr Suen was thankful for the continual support from the UK Department of Education and its positive response to Hong Kong's education reform and education-hub policies. Both sides look forward to more fruitful exchanges and co-operation in future.
The meeting was also joined by the Permanent Secretary for Education, Mr Raymond H C Wong, and Mr Henry De Zoete, Special Adviser to Mr Michael Gove.
Details of the five areas for co-operation between Hong Kong and the United Kingdom are at Annex.
Ends/Monday, November 8, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:48
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