The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) held a ceremony today (27 April) to mark the inauguration of the HKIEd Foundation, a high-level platform established with the prime objective of engaging various sectors of the community to advance the quality of teacher education, learning and teaching, and research at the Institute.

As the Guest of Honour, Chief Secretary for Administration Mrs Carrie Lam addressed the ceremony attended by over 350 friends and supporters of the Institute, including leading figures from the business and education sectors, government officials and consuls general, in addition to staff, scholarship recipients and their parents.

As an organising unit formed with a constitution approved by the Council of the Institute, the Foundation is governed by a Board of Stewards that comprises the Council Chairman, Council Treasurer, President of HKIEd, and members of the business and professional communities who can contribute to the Institute’s advancement with their personal resources or networks.

Officiating at the ceremony, Mr Pang Yiu-kai, Chairman of HKIEd Council and HKIEd Foundation, stressed the importance of education in honing the competitiveness of Hong Kong. “HKIEd has a very well defined mission to provide top-quality teacher education and education in related humanities and social science disciplines, for the long-term development and competitiveness of Hong Kong,” he said. “Our mission is education-focused, and it can only be achieved through a deep belief in the transformational power of education and tireless efforts over many years.”

HKIEd President Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung thanked donors for their continual support, which he said had gone a long way towards furthering the Institute’s mission of nurturing professional educators and future leaders in Hong Kong. “When the students are with us at HKIEd, we tap all available resources and do everything we can to groom them as confident young professionals with positive values, just as they will in turn influence their future students.”

Professor Cheung explained that “to make this happen, not only do we look for donations in cash terms, but also in terms of precious internship places, be they openings in the business sector or in NGOs and voluntary agencies in Hong Kong and beyond.”

On the same occasion, the Institute staged its Scholarship Presentation Ceremony 2015 to recognise students with outstanding performance in various areas. A total of 544 scholarships with a value of over $12.7 million will be awarded this year. Scholarships are awarded annually to students with outstanding academic achievements, outstanding leadership or service records, active participation in extracurricular activities or extraordinary talent displayed in areas such as creative arts and sports.