Hong Kong school leaders and space-education entrepreneurs on Friday called for enhancing exposure of space science among youth to cultivate early scientific thinking and hone practical skills.

A firmer grasp of the nation’s progress in space could also make the country’s development achievements more tangible to Hong Kong’s young people and deepen their sense of national belonging, they said.

They spoke at a briefing for a new citywide innovation competition that invites kindergartners and primary and secondary school students to apply space science and artificial intelligence themes to express their creativity.

The competition — co-organized by Subsidized Primary Schools Council, Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council (HKSSSC) and Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Academy (HKATA) — is part of the Education Bureau’s “Love Our Home, Treasure Our Country” series of joint school national education activities.

Preschool participants are required to design space-mission emblems and attend coloring contests. In the primary school category, students can attend speech contests or assemble satellites modules and robots. Secondary school students can design and test rocket models.

The event is expected to reach hundreds of schools, draw over 2,000 teams and engage more than 300,000 students across the city. For the secondary school category, the goal is to involve more than 100 schools and over 200 teams, as well as more than 100,000 students, teachers and parents.

Registration runs through Oct 31. In less than two weeks, secondary school sign-ups had passed the halfway mark toward the target, organizers said.

Wiva Wei, HKATA’s co-founder and executive director, told China Daily that the competition — aligned with the nation’s strategy to become a leading space power and Hong Kong’s drive for aerospace education — aims to promote space science, nurture science and technology talent, and deepen young people’s attachment to the motherland.

Wei said that the competition seeks to carry forward the momentum of major milestones, such as the selection of Lai Ka-ying as Hong Kong’s first astronaut, and her ongoing mission on the country’s Tiangong space station.

Wei also said that the contest’s finals and innovation showcase are planned for late May to mark the anniversary of Lai’s mission while also commemorating the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, which will fall on July 1.

“Space education integrates multiple disciplines,” Wei said. The knowledge and skills it builds — in artificial intelligence, robotics, rigorous scientific thinking and problem-solving know-how — are abilities young students can carry across fields as they adapt to a changing job market and career prospects constantly reshaped by technologies.

HKSSSC Vice-Chairman Vincent Kwong Wing-sun struck a similar note. “Rather than knowing what the latest technology is, in today’s world where the latest technology will eventually give way to something newer, the priorities for youngsters are curiosity and the courage to push boundaries.”

He continued: “Space is a relatively new field for students in Hong Kong, and competitions like this give them a valuable opportunity to learn how to explore what they do not yet understand.”

Yaumati Catholic Primary School is among the schools participating. “Helping children discover space science at an early age plays an important part in their development,” Principal Cheung Chok-fong said.

“Kids are naturally curious and find the sky and outer space fascinating,” she said. “Introducing them to these subjects early can bring that seemingly distant world closer, helping them see how space technology touches their lives.”

Cheung said that a space science and technology study exchange she led to the Chinese mainland last term had given students a firsthand view of the nation’s advances and achievements in the field, leaving them “immensely proud”.

“Seeing it in person and watching it on television are completely different experiences for them,” she said, adding that the school will continue to organize such trips.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com