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UGC sets up review group to consider HKIEd's application for university title
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The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:

     The University Grants Committee (UGC) has, as invited by the Administration, set up a review group to examine the application for university title submitted by the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) in July 2014.

     The Review Group will assess the HKIEd's application in accordance with the terms of reference (see Annex) as provided by the Administration. Its membership comprises both overseas academics and local educators/community leaders who are conversant with university management, experienced in teaching and research assessment, and familiar with the higher education sector in Hong Kong. Sir Ivor Crewe, Master of University College, Oxford, and President of the Academy of Social Sciences in the United Kingdom, will serve as the Convenor of the Review Group, and Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin will be the Deputy Convenor. Other Members include Professor Hans van de Ven, Emeritus Professor Sandra Vianne McLean, Professor Janet H Lawrence, Dr Michael Mak Hoi-hung and Mr Tommy Cheung Pak-hong. The membership list with brief profiles of each member is in the Annex. The tentative target of the Review Group is to complete the review exercise and submit a report to the UGC and subsequently the Administration in one year's time.

     "This is an important exercise. The HKIEd is the major provider of schoolteachers in Hong Kong and the outcome of the exercise will have an important bearing on future generations of teacher students and on the teacher education sector. When undertaking the assessment we shall consider all essential issues from multiple perspectives. We will approach the review with an open mind and maintain a close dialogue with the HKIEd, the Administration and other stakeholders throughout the process," Sir Ivor said.

Background

     In 2007, the HKIEd submitted a document entitled "Development Blueprint: Becoming a University of Education" to the Administration, which later invited the UGC to carry out a special review. The UGC submitted to the Administration its review report in February 2009. The report recommended the HKIEd to give priority to the strategic development of teacher education in Hong Kong, the development of additional disciplines that are complementary to teacher education, and the promotion of research and a research training environment. The report also recommended the Government to consider the institutional development of the HKIEd as a matter requiring additional funding. The review report can be accessed at www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/publication/report/hkied_review_report/hkied_review_report.htm .

     Having considered the review report from the UGC, the then Chief Executive-in-Council (CE-in-Council) decided on the way forward with respect to institutional development of the HKIEd on June 23, 2009. Among other things, the then CE-in-Council decided to support the HKIEd to develop into a multi-disciplinary institution with a focus on education and a good spread of complementary disciplines, as well as to strengthen its research capability, through provision of additional publicly funded student numbers (120 first-year first degree and 30 research postgraduate places).

     The HKIEd has since launched new research programmes as well as four new non-teacher education undergraduate programmes, two of which produced their first cohort of graduates in 2013. In late 2013, the HKIEd successfully went through Programme Revalidation of these two undergraduate programmes by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ). In July 2014, the HKIEd was further granted Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status by the HKCAAVQ for three programme areas at Qualifications Framework Level 5, with a validity period of five years from September 1, 2014, to August 31, 2019. The HKIEd submitted its present application for university title to the Administration later in the same month.

Ends/Friday, October 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:20

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