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On behalf of the Education Bureau, the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, today (December 8) congratulated Professor Frederick K S Leung and Professor Kevin Zheng Zhou of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on their appointment as Changjiang Scholars 2013/14 by the Ministry of Education's Changjiang Scholars Programme. Professor Leung is also the first ever Changjiang Scholar named in the field of mathematics education.
Mr Ng said, "Professor Leung and Professor Zhou's achievements and the awards they have received are truly an honour to Hong Kong." He added that he hopes they will continue to contribute to the advancement of higher education in Hong Kong.
Founded by the Ministry of Education and the Li Ka Shing Foundation in 1998, the Changjiang Scholars Programme is an important higher education development programme in China. Changjiang Scholars are highly distinguished in different fields of research studies and are well known for their contributions to the development of higher education in China.
Professor Leung is a world-renowned scholar in mathematics education. In recognition of his research in the field of comparative studies in mathematics education and the influence of culture on mathematics teaching and learning, Professor Leung was also awarded the Hans Freudenthal Medal for 2013, which is regarded as the highest international accolade in mathematics education. He is the first Asian scholar awarded the Medal, and his groundbreaking work in explaining East Asian students' superior mathematics achievements, which is included in international studies such as the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement)'s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) and the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)'s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), has been highly praised globally.
As Professor of Strategy/International Business at HKU's Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE), Professor Zhou has published numerous papers in prestigious journals and received the Outstanding Researcher Award of FBE in 2013 and the HKU Research Output Award in 2006 and 2011.
Professor Leung will give a public lecture, co-organised by the Education Bureau and the University of Hong Kong, on mathematics education. Further details will be announced in due course.
Ends/Monday, December 8, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:21
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