The University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have been selected as pilot universities for a national program to train science research graduates from the country’s top tertiary education institutions to teach in secondary and primary schools.
It is the first time that universities in the special administrative region have been included in the program which started last year.
The Ministry of Education said on Tuesday the two Hong Kong universities were chosen for the program’s second phase along with 11 other leading universities on the Chinese mainland, such as Shandong University, the Harbin Institute of Technology and Capital Normal University.
The second phase, due to begin next month, focuses on developing a distinctive curriculum, including courses concerning artificial intelligence, interdisciplinary studies and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education.
The first batch of pilot universities covered 30 prestigious mainland universities like Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
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The ministry pledged support for cross-school learning and exchanges among mainland and Hong Kong graduate students joining the program. It will also help mainland graduate students under the program take up teacher training courses in the SAR, as well as educational practices in the city.
Mainland students will be encouraged to remain in Hong Kong to teach after completing their studies, while HKU and CUHK graduates under the program will be allowed to teach in mainland education institutions without having to take examinations.
According to Hong Kong’s Education Bureau, mainland students pursuing a diploma in teaching in the SAR under the national program are expected to be granted locally recognized teaching qualifications if they meet the requirements and have completed internships.
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HKU and CUHK will select suitable students based on their qualifications, with the first batch of students expected to enroll for the program in the 2025/26 academic year.
The bureau said it’s committed to supporting the two universities in cultivating educational professionals for Hong Kong and the nation.
CUHK has decided to collaborate between its Faculty of Education and its Shenzhen campus in offering a two-year master’s degree course specifically designed for the program.
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Applications are expected to be accepted as early as the end of this year and graduates can apply directly for permission to teach on the mainland without having to take examinations.
