****************************************************
Led by the Secretary for Education (SED), Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, a Hong Kong delegation visiting Toronto, Canada, today (March 13, Toronto time) will meet with the Ontario Principals' Council and Toronto Schools Administrators Association, and visit the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office.
Earlier the delegation met with members of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and university presidents to exchange views on the development of academic structures and higher education in the two places.
Mr Ng told the university representatives that the New Academic Structure (NAS) implemented in September 2009 at Secondary Four had begun to bear fruit in 2012 when the first cohort of students completed the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination.
"The new structure has promoted the whole-person and lifelong learning capabilities of students, expanded learning opportunities and provided multiple progression pathways both within and outside Hong Kong," he said.
"The NAS aligns better with the major academic systems outside Hong Kong. The HKDSE qualification is widely recognised in various countries and the adoption of the Student Learning Profile can provide a comprehensive record of students' development. To date, some 150 universities worldwide, including 18 in Canada and 28 in the United States, have already acknowledged their recognition of the HKDSE qualification for admission purposes, and more are being added," he said.
The COU and representatives from its member universities were pleased to meet with the delegates and shared their commitment to strengthening ties between universities in Hong Kong and Ontario.
"International collaborations for educational programmes and research enrich the experience of students here and in Hong Kong, and enhance the innovative capacity of our respective research efforts," said Dr Alastair Summerlee, the COU Chair and President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph.
"This meeting builds on our traditional partnership and collaboration, and acknowledges the transformation in education that Hong Kong has undergone."
The delegation also visited the George Brown College (GBC), which is one of Canada's largest and most diverse colleges providing vocational education for post-secondary students. Then they called at Chef's House, a restaurant run by students of the GBC Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts.
Mr Ng said that the NAS had provided senior secondary students with widened exposure to knowledge and skills, including applied learning, so that they could stretch their potential through multiple pathways for further studies and careers according to their interests, aptitudes and aspirations.
"Hong Kong also provides our students with vocational training opportunities similar to GBC's programmes, such as the Chinese Cuisine Training Institute operated by the Vocational Training Council as well as an international culinary college to be set up by the Council," he added.
Mr Ng also attended a gathering with Hong Kong students at the University of Toronto.
Other members of the delegation include the Deputy Secretary for Education, Dr Catherine K K Chan, the Administrative Assistant to the SED, Mr Kenneth Cheng, and the Secretary General of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, Dr Tong Chong-sze.
Ends/Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:32
NNNN
