Following is a question by the Hon Ng Wun-kit and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (July 15):

Questions:

     Some members of the education sector have relayed that while the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools (the Blueprint) announced last month will accelerate digital transformation in education within primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong, schools still face the challenge of difficult implementation despite easy hardware acquisition. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) to ensure a consistent pace of digital transformation in education within primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong, whether the Education Bureau (EDB) will establish a uniform "reference model of smart campus infrastructures", or centrally procure highly secure cloud services and AI large language models for primary and secondary schools across Hong Kong to narrow the digital divide among schools;

(2) as it is learnt that schools' internal systems are currently unable to seamlessly interface with EDB's administration platforms and data are not interoperable, whether the authorities, while promoting smart campuses, have drawn up any specific timetables for the digital upgrade of their administration platforms and the promotion of one-stop data interoperability; and

(3) whether it has formulated any specific key performance indicators to regularly assess the effectiveness of various funding allocations under the Blueprint; whether a cross-school sharing platform will be established to share good AI teaching and administrative tools developed by schools, so as to achieve the objective of sharing best practices?

Reply:

President,

     The Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools (the Blueprint) recently published by the Education Bureau (EDB) aims to outline the development directions, key focuses, strategies, and specific measures for the future development of digital education in primary and secondary schools. This includes the recommendation of "optimising infrastructure to build smart campuses". However, to drive the digital transformation of education, schools' holistic planning, teachers' professional participation, the cultivation of students' digital literacy, and digital infrastructure are equally important. Only through the mutual co-ordination of various strategies can we truly overcome the challenge of difficult implementation.

     Regarding the question raised by the Hon Ng Wun-kit, the EDB's reply is as follows:

(1) The EDB is committed to supporting schools in implementing the digital transformation of education. Based on the principle of equitable and inclusive access, we ensure that all students, including those from different socio-economic backgrounds or with different learning needs, can enjoy equitable access to and make effective use of digital learning resources.

     Currently, the Hong Kong Education City is progressively strengthening its comprehensive digital education learning resource platform. This includes establishing a large language model dedicated to teaching in Hong Kong primary and secondary schools, providing an AI Assistant for different subjects. This year, the pilot for the Science subject has been completed, with the AI Assistant being utilised to support teachers in designing lesson plans, preparing lessons, and designing assessment items or assignments. Next year, it will be progressively expanded to more subjects for teachers' use.

     However, the focus of educational digitalisation lies in supporting schools to initiate and develop school-based education plans by making good use of AI in accordance with their school contexts and teaching needs. Uniformly mandating the use of a particular type of platform or product, establishing a standardised infrastructure reference model by the Government, or centrally procuring a single AI large language model for all schools in Hong Kong - all of these may seem to resolve inter-school disparities. In reality, however, such measures would limit the room for school-based professionalism and make it harder for schools to adapt to their own contexts and pursue diversified development. In fact, instructional strategies vary across subjects and teachers to effectively cater for the diverse traits and needs of students. To effectively implement the digital transformation of education, the diversity of school-based choices and the professional capabilities of teachers are of paramount importance. Therefore, in tandem with the Blueprint, the EDB is rolling out tiered and diversified teacher training to enhance teacher professionalism and optimise learning and teaching effectiveness.

     Furthermore, the current iteration cycle of AI and software technologies is extremely short. If the Government were to set a single, rigid standard, it would be difficult for schools and teachers to adapt to changing circumstances, keep pace with the times, and procure the most advanced and suitable services and solutions. At the same time, this might also stifle positive interaction between the education sector and the technology industry, limiting the room for the industry to provide services and solutions tailored to schools' needs. To effectively advance digital transformation, we encourage schools to compare solutions from different service providers and carefully select the AI platforms or services that best suit their school-based development and learning and teaching needs, striving for appropriate application at the right time. Meanwhile, we will actively promote peer learning among teachers. Through experience sharing and exchange, we aim to inspire teachers' creativity, enabling them to integrate AI into teaching more comprehensively and flexibly, thereby better catering for learner diversity and promoting students' self-directed learning.

     Undeniably, during the initial phase of implementing the Blueprint, as each school has its own characteristics, disparities between schools are inevitable. To encourage schools to play to their strengths, the EDB adopts the strategy of providing baseline support without setting a ceiling. While ensuring that all schools meet the basic requirements, we encourage diversified development and educational innovation, allowing schools that are ready to accelerate their progress, share good practices, and build a sustainable digital education ecosystem.

(2) At present, all schools may procure systems and platforms based on their school-based needs to facilitate their teaching and administrative work. Regarding the interfacing between schools' systems and the EDB's administrative platforms, the EDB has all along adopted a pragmatic approach, taking into consideration schools' needs and feedback. On the premise of ensuring data security, the EDB continuously optimises various systems and functions to facilitate schools' usage and enhance operational efficiency.

     Interfacing between schools' internal systems and the EDB's systems is not supported due to information and cyber security considerations, including the protection of personal data. This being so, the EDB has provided multi-functional systems and electronic platforms for schools to streamline their administrative work and promote information exchange with the EDB, allowing direct submission of various types of data such as information on student, staff, classes, subjects and curriculum to the EDB, thereby reducing paperwork for schools. Furthermore, the web-based School Administration Management System (SAMS) was fully upgraded to a cloud-based system in 2024 to further optimise its functions and facilitate schools' usage. By utilising the Common Log-On System, schools can readily access various application systems of the EDB, including the CloudSAMS, the e-Services Portal, and the Training Calendar System. In addition, users can also log into the systems via "iAM Smart".

(3) To complement the Blueprint, the EDB has set aside $2 billion under the Quality Education Fund to support the advancement of digital education, which includes the AI for Empowering Learning and Teaching Funding Programme. To support schools in making good use of resources, the EDB requires participating schools to use the funding in accordance with relevant guidelines and be accountable for its deployment. All schools with approved applications must regularly evaluate the use of this funding as required by the programme. They are required to include the Interim Report and Final Report of the funding programme, with details of the subsidised items/activities, relevant expenses and evaluations, in the Annual School Report for submission to their school management committee/incorporated management committee for endorsement. To enhance transparency, and in line with established practices, schools are required to upload the endorsed Annual School Plan and School Report to their school websites. The EDB will maintain ongoing communication with the school sector to review the deployment and actual effectiveness of the aforementioned funding, providing professional feedback to schools when necessary.

     To make good use of resources and implement the recommendations in the Blueprint, the EDB will review the effectiveness through various channels. First, the Blueprint sets out specific key action points and implementation timelines corresponding to the ten strategies, which serve as indicators for reviewing progress and effectiveness. In addition, the Blueprint provides the school sector with the AI Literacy Learning Framework for Primary and Secondary Schools and the Guide to Using AI in Teaching in Primary and Secondary Schools. These documents clarify the objectives for student learning and the principles for teaching application, enabling schools and teachers to conduct self-evaluations and pursue continuous self-improvement.

     Second, through the enhanced School Development and Accountability Framework, we will verify schools' self-evaluation results and review their performance in areas such as school management, learning and teaching, and student support. We will also review the effectiveness of digital education from multiple perspectives through school visits and focus group interviews.

     Third, we will promote school-based practical experiences by organising teacher learning communities and sharing sessions. We will also incorporate digital education into school-based professional support programmes to assist teachers in integrating AI into learning and teaching. Meanwhile, the Digital Education Centre of Excellence under the EDB will arrange for experienced in-service teachers to provide teaching demonstrations and lesson observations.

     Presently, based on actual needs, many schools have selected and/or developed AI platforms that align with their school contexts, development directions, and students' needs to handle administrative work. The EDB will continue to collect and promote desirable experience and examples to foster professional exchanges, drive the development of smart campuses, and achieve the goal of sharing best practices.

     Thank you, President. 

Ends/Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Issued at HKT 17:55

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