More than 300 government officials, teachers and principals’ representatives from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions on Wednesday gathered at the Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre in Hong Kong to attend a lecture and gain insights into becoming outstanding educators.

The lecture was part of a national tour organized by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China to promote “the spirit of educators” across the country.

Themed “Strengthening the teaching force with the spirit of educators, composing a glorious chapter in building a leading country in education”, the event this year invited 25 distinguished teachers to share their insights into approaches to nurturing students, enabling the audience to reflect on the contemporary significance of the spirit of educators and on how they can contribute to the advancement of high-quality education through collaborative efforts.

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Addressing the event, Yu Weiyue, director-general of the Department of Teacher Development at the Ministry of Education, said that Hong Kong and Macao must have teachers who embody the spirit of educators.

He also called for teachers in Hong Kong and Macao to improve educational standards, foster students’ innovative spirit, adopt a lifelong learning philosophy, and strive to become highly skilled, broad-minded teachers.

Yu expressed his hope that Hong Kong and Macao can leverage their distinctive advantages in being able to enjoy the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world to promote the sharing and transformation of research findings, to globalize Hong Kong’s and Macao’s education opportunities, and to enhance the two cities’ international influence.

Hong Kong Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin also addressed those gathered, and said that teachers are the main force behind building a nation that is strong in science, technology, and talent, and the “spirit of educators” event has provided insights into the nation’s fundamental expectations for the teaching profession.

The demand for high-quality education is more urgent than ever as countries compete to attract high-end talent, said Choi.

She said the Hong Kong Education Bureau is committed to building a team of high-quality teachers and is providing support to both teachers and principals to help them enhance their professionalism. For instance, the bureau has organized exchange programs with both the mainland and overseas and has put in place incentive programs to enhance teachers’ professional capabilities.

Speeches at the seminar were also made by Ye Feng, an associate professor of Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, who shared a story about his colleague — a 100-year-old expert in internal medicine and hematology named Wang Zhenyi; Zhu Xiangxiang, who chose to leave a privileged position in the city to dedicate herself to rural education; Gu Ya, a music teacher who for 11 years has been committed to bringing the joy of music to village students and has formed bands in her school to develop the musical potential of her students; Wan Rongchun, a professor from Bohai Shipbuilding Vocational College in Liaoning province; Zhang Long, from the Wuhan City School for the Blind in Hubei province; Zhou Rongfang, a professor of Marxism at Zhengzhou University; and Chu Kwok-kit from Hong Kong’s Heung To Middle School, a recipient of the Chief Executive’s Award for Teaching Excellence.

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During the event, an award ceremony was held for winners of a commemorative certificate for “telling my story of nurturing students”, a national showcase activity. At the same event, a presentation ceremony for Hong Kong and Macao members of the Ministry of Education’s Training Plan for Famous Teachers and Principals of Primary and Secondary Schools in the New Era (2024-2027) was hosted. Eighteen teachers and principals from the two SARs were recommended to participate in the plan.

Contact the writers at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com