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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Bay trips for EdUHK as course content widens
All student teachers will have to visit the Greater Bay Area starting next academic year as the city's only teacher education university adds more GBA content in courses - the first publicly-funded universities in Hong Kong to have such an arrangement.
The Education University of Hong Kong will also liaise with schools for Hong Kong children in the mainland to provide internships for student teachers.
Starting from September, field trips to the Greater Bay Area and "cross-faculty core subjects' infused with GBA content will be introduced to the mandatory curriculum in Education University, the first among eight public universities in the SAR to introduce compulsory and credit bearing GBA courses.
To boost students' understanding of GBA development, the university's courses will cover the latest development of GBA's innovations, economy, arts, education and other creative industries. Students will be required to submit a group project.
As a pilot scheme in the coming year, 100 students from the three majors - heritage education and arts management, sociology and Chinese language education - will be sent on field trips to mainland China.
In the following years, students will be sent north in phases. By academic year 2026/27, all students will be required to participate - about 1,350 students annually.
Vice president and provost professor of Education University John Lee Chi-kin said: "Through the enhanced curriculum, we hope our students can have better understanding about Hong Kong, our country and the world."
With more teaching opportunities followed by further collaborations with schools in GBA, Lee said it is important for future generations to grasp new opportunities with a solid knowledge base.
He added that the trips will be free but students may have to pay for fees during quarantine, pending further discussions.
The university also announced plans to cooperate with three schools in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan from the second semester next year. Some 12 to 18 education major students will have the chance to go on a three-week internship. Internship opportunities include Chinese, English, mathematics, physical education and visual arts teaching experience.
Lee said that EdUHK mandates the field trips to echo the university grant committee's commitment toward GBA development, one of China's most significant strategic development plans in recent years.
Starting from September, field trips to the Greater Bay Area and "cross-faculty core subjects' infused with GBA content will be introduced to the mandatory curriculum in Education University, the first among eight public universities in the SAR to introduce compulsory and credit bearing GBA courses.
To boost students' understanding of GBA development, the university's courses will cover the latest development of GBA's innovations, economy, arts, education and other creative industries. Students will be required to submit a group project.
As a pilot scheme in the coming year, 100 students from the three majors - heritage education and arts management, sociology and Chinese language education - will be sent on field trips to mainland China.
In the following years, students will be sent north in phases. By academic year 2026/27, all students will be required to participate - about 1,350 students annually.
Vice president and provost professor of Education University John Lee Chi-kin said: "Through the enhanced curriculum, we hope our students can have better understanding about Hong Kong, our country and the world."
With more teaching opportunities followed by further collaborations with schools in GBA, Lee said it is important for future generations to grasp new opportunities with a solid knowledge base.
He added that the trips will be free but students may have to pay for fees during quarantine, pending further discussions.
The university also announced plans to cooperate with three schools in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan from the second semester next year. Some 12 to 18 education major students will have the chance to go on a three-week internship. Internship opportunities include Chinese, English, mathematics, physical education and visual arts teaching experience.
Lee said that EdUHK mandates the field trips to echo the university grant committee's commitment toward GBA development, one of China's most significant strategic development plans in recent years.
