Third SSBs Forum and Signing Ceremony of Collaborative Agreement

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The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) today (21 November) signed a collaborative agreement with 14 local school sponsoring bodies (SSBs), 11 of which were existing partners renewing agreements, while other three are new partners. These SSBs sponsor one-third of the schools in Hong Kong.

Officiating at the signing ceremony was Mr Tim Lui Tim-leung, Chairman of the Education Commission. Other participants at the event included Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, President of EdUHK; Mrs Michelle Wong Yau Wai-ching, Deputy Secretary for Education of the Education Bureau; Mr Timothy Ha Wing-ho, Chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Sponsoring Bodies of Schools; Mr Peter Lau Chiu-yin, Episcopal Delegate for Education of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong; The Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon, Provincial Secretary General of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui; Mr Chan Shiu-choy, Director of Education Services of the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China; Dr Alan Lee Yuk-lun, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Miss Abbie Chan Sai-kit, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Po Leung Kuk; Ven Yin Chi, Hon Secretary and Chairperson of Education Committee of the Hong Kong Buddhist Association; The Reverend Kan Kei-piu, Head of the School Education Division of the Methodist Church, Hong Kong; Miss Christina Lee Oi-ping, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Yan Oi Tong; Mr Henry Tong Sau-chai, Head of the Education Services Department of the Hong Kong Taoist Association; Mrs Brenda Wong, Vice-Chairman of the Education Executive Committee of the Hong Chi Association; Mr Yee Shui-yew, Head of School Education Department of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong; Mr Chan Wai-cheung, Chairman of the Trustees of Kowloon Tong Church of the Chinese Christian and Missionary Alliance; Dr Paul Lau Wai-keen, Chairman of the Education Committee of Caritas Hong Kong; and Lieut-Colonel Ian Swan, Officer Commanding for The Salvation Army.

Under the agreement, EdUHK and its partner SSBs will collaborate in different areas, including setting up scholarships for secondary students who aspire to become prospective teachers; organising professional development programmes for teachers from the schools of these SSBs; arranging teaching practicum opportunities in different schools for preservice teachers; and co-organising various education conferences, seminars and educational events. This collaboration will generate opportunities for EdUHK, the SSBs and other parts of the education sector to exchange experience, benefiting the next generation and the development of local education.

Addressing the ceremony, Professor Stephen Cheung said that religious groups and charity organisations were both important school sponsoring bodies in Hong Kong, leading the way in and enhancing the development of local education. “The University has developed close ties with local SSBs, primary schools and kindergartens since The Hong Kong Institute of Education era,” he said. “And our common goals and passion for enhancing local education remain the same.”

“Although each of us comes from a different background, it does not change the fact that the growth of our children and teenagers is our top priority, and we have devoted ourselves to promoting quality education and contributing to Hong Kong society and our next generation,” he added.

A forum titled “The Establishment of School Leadership and Team Capacity” was held after the ceremony. The topics included SSBs, incorporated management committees, and the leadership, interaction and relations of supervisors and principals. Leaders of the SSBs and scholars from the education sector explored key topics in keynote speeches and discussion sessions, titled “The Enhancement of the Interaction and Relations between SSBs and Incorporated Management Committees”, and “The Leadership of Supervisors and Building of School Management Team”.

Mr Wong Kwok-kong, Vice Head of the School Education Department of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong, explored the effectiveness of the long-established Incorporated Management Committee system, explaining that SSBs, as a close partner of the Education Bureau, played a highly important role in Hong Kong’s basic education system. Other SSB representatives discussed how the role of SSBs had changed from supervising school operations to advising, and from monitoring school development to providing professional support. It is hoped that under the current school-based management system, these incorporated management committees will optimise the effectiveness of school management by seeking professional support from specialists in different areas.

Another speaker, Mr Henry Tong Sau-chai, Head of Education Service Department of the Hong Kong Taoist Association, pointed out that School Supervisors and Principals should have distinctive division of roles. School Supervisors will develop school policies based on the mission and vision of the School Sponsoring Body, whilst Principals are responsible for the execution and administration of the policies on a daily operation level. In order to build an effective team of School Managers, he said School Supervisors should share a common vision and nurture a sense of belonging among the team. School Supervisors and Managers should be knowledgeable about the education profession and keep themselves up to date, in order to fully function and support school development.