EDB holds first "Digital Education Week 2025" kick-off ceremony with EdCity to enlighten future talents with innovative education (with photos)
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The officiating guests of the launching ceremony include Dr Choi, the First-level Inspector of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Liu Maozhou, the Permanent Secretary for Education, Ms Michelle Li, the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, Deputy Secretary for Education, Dr Gloria Chan, Mr Armstrong Lee Hon-cheung, the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen, the Founder and Honorary President and the chairwoman of the Steering Committee of the Smart City Consortium, the Hon Elizabeth Quat and the Chairman of the QEF Steering Committee, Mr Dieter Yih Lai-tak, witnessing an important milestone of digital education development in Hong Kong together.
To dovetail with the national development of digital education and to nurture talents for the innovation and technology (I&T) sector, the Chief Executive announced the formation of the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education in the 2024 Policy Address. The Committee has identified four key focuses and strategic directions, namely to enhance students' digital literacy and skills, to strengthen professional training in digital education for teachers, to optimise digital education ancillary infrastructure, as well as to strengthen ties between local, Mainland and international innovation and technology institutions, tertiary institutions, and relevant sectors to enhance synergy and promote high-quality development of digital education. The EDB has rolled out a series of activities, including organising multiple engagement sessions with stakeholders to gauge views on the development of digital education in the schools in Hong Kong. The Committee members also conducted school visits to understand of the latest progress of the implementation of digital education in schools.
Speaking at the kick-off ceremony of the Digital Education Week, Dr Choi said, "the first Digital Education Week features a wide range of enriching programmes, including the annual flagship event for the education sector, Learning & Teaching Expo 2025, as well as the International Summit on the Use of AI in Learning and Teaching Languages and Other Subjects and Post-Summit Workshop Series. These functions enable teachers to stay abreast of the latest developments in I&T and digital education, fostering professional exchanges and enhancing the effectiveness of learning and teaching. As a close partner of the EDB, the EdCity is stepping up its full efforts to promote digital education and continues to leverage on its advantages to promote the application and education of AI and computational thinking, and enhancing students' digital literacy and skills." Dr Choi looked forward to working in collaboration with the community to promote the deep integration of I&T and nurture more I&T talent, thereby contributing to the building of a leading country in education and a strong nation in science and technology.
The Learning & Teaching Expo 2025 will bring together global educational technology resources, set up nearly 600 booths, and host more than 270 keynote speeches, seminars and public demonstration classes to fully showcase the latest teaching solutions and technology trends. While the International Summit on AIinLT will gather education experts from home and abroad to discuss the practical application of AI in various disciplines through 100 paper presentations, teaching demonstrations and 11 in-depth workshops, helping teachers and students enhance their AI literacy.
Mr Lee said, "The Digital Education Week is not just an event, it is an important milestone in shaping the future of education in Hong Kong. As a wholly owned government organisation, the EdCity has been committed to promoting information technology education in Hong Kong, providing an interactive learning platform for teachers, students and parents, and contributing diversified resources and support to enhance teaching effectiveness, promote holistic development and lifelong learning. This year's expo has newly added a Mainland China Zone, an International Pavilion and an I&T Exchange Circle. The EdCity hopes to further expand the AI education ecosystem to Mainland China and overseas, presenting the most novel and effective innovative education solutions and products from around the world to the Hong Kong education sector, and enhancing the quality of learning and teaching."
At the event, the EDB announced that the first batch of three deliverables in the e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme, which was funded by a provision of $500 million from the QEF, are officially rolled out today. The deliverables of the projects will also be exhibited at the Learning & Teaching Expo 2025 for teachers and students to experience. The programme provides 22 innovative e-learning solutions for primary and secondary, kindergarten and special education students in Hong Kong, 18 of which incorporate AI technology. Three of the project leaders briefed the guests on the functions and vision of the projects.
Dr Anissa Chan said, "Schools and teachers have a key role to play in guiding students to use and control new technologies in an orderly and appropriate manner, rather than being controlled by them. Therefore, while embracing innovative technologies, the education sector should also be equipped with the skills to utilise AI. The inaugural International Summit on the Use of AI in Learning and Teaching Languages and Other Subjects & Post-Summit Workshop Series, co-organised by the EDB, SCOLAR, EdCity, and the Department of English and Communication of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, aims to provide a valuable platform for teachers, researchers and others in the education sector to learn from each other and to share their own insights on the use of AI in the education sector".
In addition, witnessed by Dr Choi and Mr Lee, the Executive Director of EdCity, Dr Tenny Lam, signed cooperation agreements with the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education (AiTLE), Hong Kong Qianfan Technology and the Hong Kong Association for Computer Education (HKACE) respectively to further promote the development of digital education in Hong Kong. The EDB praised the HKACE and the AiTLE for their contributions to the development of digital education over the years, and also thanked Hong Kong Qianfan Technology and the EdCity for their collaboration to launch innovative projects to support digital education, with a view to introducing innovative technologies to the academic sector and helping the digital transformation of education.
Ends/Monday, June 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 23:27
Issued at HKT 23:27
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