On November 9, 2024, the 6th Academic Forum on Education Research and Development for Youth in Hong Kong and Macao, titled "Educational Development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: The Present and Future of Smart Education," was successfully held at the Taipa campus of the City University of Macau (CityU). The forum was jointly organized by the School of Education at CityU and the Hong Kong and Macao Youth Education Research Center of South China Normal University (SCNU).
The event received support from the National Key Research Base for Textbook Construction (Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Textbooks), the School of Education at SCNU, the Greater Bay Area Education Convergence and Development Think Tank, and the Global Education Research and Innovation Center (Macao). Focused on educational cooperation and development within the Greater Bay Area (GBA), the forum facilitated in-depth discussions on critical issues such as smart education, internationalized development, and the cultivation of diverse talents, attracting numerous experts and scholars.
At the commencement of the forum, Professor Cheng Li-Ying, Dean of the School of Education at CityU, and Professor Shi Yudan, Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Youth Education Research Center at SCNU, delivered welcoming addresses. Dean Cheng extended a warm welcome to all guests and introduced the academic activities and remarkable research achievements of the School of Education. Professor Shi emphasized the forum's significance in promoting educational development for youth in Hong Kong and Macao, expressing her hopes for deepened exchange and collaboration among GBA universities.
The forum invited nine prominent experts and scholars from the GBA to deliver keynote reports on topics such as educational transformation, scientific literacy education, and new insights into international education. The distinguished speakers included Professor Gao Desheng, "Zijiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor at East China Normal University; Professor Wei Bing from the Faculty of Education at the University of Macau; Professor Sheng Jun, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University; Principal Wong Ching-yung of Scientia Secondary School, Hong Kong; Professor Li Chenzhi from Shenzhen University; Assistant Professor Dai Yun from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Professor Gao Yimin from the Institute of International and Comparative Education at Beijing Normal University; Associate Professor Gao Fang from the Department of International Education at the Education University of Hong Kong; and Principal Cheng Hong-kuong of Southeast School, Macao.
During the afternoon session, participants engaged in heated discussions on themes including smart classrooms and school reform, the internationalization of education in the GBA, and the construction of cultivation systems for diverse and top-tier innovative talents. Additionally, a dedicated session for postgraduate students provided a platform to showcase cutting-edge research on topics such as Generative AI-based project learning and the pathways for constructing smart classrooms. In her concluding remarks, Professor Shi Yudan reaffirmed the academic contributions and social impact of the forum, expressing her commitment to providing strong support, new perspectives, and clear directions for the future development of education for youth in Hong Kong and Macao through diverse and content-rich academic platforms.
During the afternoon session, participants engaged in profound discussions on critical themes including smart classrooms and school reform, the internationalization of higher education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and the construction of cultivation systems for diverse and top-tier innovative talents. Additionally, a dedicated session for postgraduate students provided an academic platform to showcase cutting-edge research findings on topics such as Generative AI-based project-based learning and the development pathways for smart classrooms.
In her concluding remarks, Professor Shi Yudan reaffirmed the academic contributions and social impact of the forum, expressing her vision to provide robust support, innovative perspectives, and strategic directions for the future development of education for youth in Hong Kong and Macao through such content-rich and diversified academic platforms.
