The 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Education Integration and Innovation Summit Concludes Successfully
Spotlight on the HKDSE Curriculum: Promoting New Pathways in Education
GUANGZHOU, China, April 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On 29 March 2025, Yew Wah International Education School of Guangzhou (YWIES Guangzhou) hosted the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Education Integration and Innovation Summit - HKDSE Curriculum Teacher Forum. Educators, scholars, school administrators, and frontline teachers from across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) gathered for in-depth discussions about the implementation and promotion of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) curriculum in the Greater Bay Area.
Oxford University Press and the Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network (YCYW) co-hosted the event, with strong support from the Greater Bay Area Education Development Association and the Greater Bay Area HKDSE Teachers' Alliance of the Guangdong International Education Promotion Association. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University of Oxford's objective of excellence in research, scholarship and education by publishing worldwide. In advancing the collaborative development of education in the Greater Bay Area, Oxford University Press has facilitated the smooth implementation of the HKDSE curriculum in more schools through initiatives such as teacher exchanges and educational resource support, thereby fostering educational diversity and nurturing talent for the region.
The event featured carefully designed sessions led by industry leaders. The goals were to foster cooperation and collaboration throughout the area and to establish a platform for mutual learning among educators, thereby contributing to the development of talent in the Greater Bay Area.
At the opening ceremony, Ms Lucy Liu, Chinese Co-Principal of YWIES Guangzhou, welcomed participants and reaffirmed YCYW's commitment to advancing educational integration and innovation in the Greater Bay Area. "Since its founding in 1932, YCYW has adhered to the educational philosophy of integrating Chinese and Western cultures to nurture global citizens, and providing high-quality, bilingual education to students from around the world," she noted. YWIES Guangzhou has cultivated seven classes of graduands during the past decade, and they have been admitted to world-renowned universities, such as the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. Moreover, the school has gained widespread praise and recognition from all sectors of society.
In recent years, with the promotion of the strategy to integrate education in the Greater Bay Area, the HKDSE curriculum has increasingly become an important bridge linking the education systems of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong SAR. During the 2025-2026 academic year, YWIES Guangzhou will introduce the HKDSE programme. The school will also implement innovations, such as "co-teaching", thereby fostering the development of a Greater Bay Area teaching community, and establishing a resource-sharing platform to facilitate the curriculum's adoption across the region.
"We hope that through this event, we can create a platform for exchange and collaboration, thus enabling educators from different schools and institutions to learn from each other and jointly promote educational integration and innovation in the Greater Bay Area," Ms Liu said.
The event reached its intellectual climax through a series of keynote speeches. Distinguished experts in the field of education offered persuasive analysis about the integration and innovative applications of HKDSE. The experts and the titles of their speeches included:
- Dr Kang Changyun, Vice President of Guangdong International Education Promotion Association, "DSE's Mission in an Age of Uncertainty: Convergence and Innovation";
- Mr Luo Guanzhong, Supervisor of Shenzhen Middle School's International Division, "The Evolution of HKDSE: From A-Levels to a Distinct Identity";
- Mr Chen Deon, Principal of Ying Wa College, "Holistic Academic Pathways: Comparing Education Systems in Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese Mainland".
Ms Shannon Shang, YCYW's Education Director and Co-Executive Principal of Yew Chung International School Hong Kong, focused on educational innovation within an international context, and explored the intrinsic connection between the HKDSE curriculum and the development of talent for the 21st century.
Ms Shang noted that with the evolution of information technology and new pedagogical models, education is gradually shifting from "standardization" to "personalization". As a result, nurturing the students' "soft skills"—such as, critical thinking, creativity, cross-cultural understanding, and self-directed learning—has become a pressing priority.
"YCYW's educational philosophy blends Chinese Confucian principles with modern Western pedagogy, and emphasises the cultivation of the 'whole person.' During this era of globalisation, we can ensure that the next generations have genuine competitiveness and the ability to contribute meaningfully to society, only by focusing on the students' long-term development, leveraging new technologies flexibly, and prioritising core competencies and values," Ms Shang noted. Her remarks resonated with the attendees at the event, and inspired educators in regard to curriculum implementation and talent development.
The event also featured subject-specific workshops on Chinese, English, and mathematics; experienced educators from across the Greater Bay Area explored innovative teaching methods, curriculum refinement, and strategies for the assessment of students. These sessions provided practical guidance for frontline-teachers.
The much-anticipated roundtable discussion brought together leading education experts, who examined the challenges and proposed solutions for the implementation of the HKDSE curriculum.
During the discussion, participants agreed that the HKDSE programme enjoys strong international recognition and provides students with diverse options for further education. Its curriculum and evaluation system emphasise holistic development and creative thinking, which align with the current trends and the need for educational reforms. This, they argued, is pivotal for optimizing the allocation of educational resources in the Greater Bay Area and enhancing the students' international competitiveness.
"The HKDSE is an international curriculum designed by Chinese. Through educational outreach, we hope to exert cultural influence on the world stage," said Ms Liu, Chinese Co-Principal of YWIES Guangzhou.
To promote the HKDSE, the experts recommended: (1) a more student-centred curriculum to stimulate the interest of students, and (2) training and
improvement of the teachers to ensure mastery of the HKDSE pedagogy.
In response to a question about how to reduce the pressure on teachers, Ms Liu proposed using AI and other technologies to improve efficiency. She also advocated for psychological training to improve communication and the management of stress.
"Riding the Wave of the Greater Bay Area, and Shaping the Future of Education"—this summit not only proposed fresh strategies for educational integration but also outlined a roadmap for the implementation of HKDSE in the Greater Bay Area. Moving forward, stakeholders will build on the momentum of the summit to work together to promote the high-quality development of HKDSE in the Greater Bay Area, thereby nurturing internationally competitive talent prepared for the future.
Meanwhile, YWIES Guangzhou remains committed to pioneering innovation, and delivering more personalised, diversified, and outstanding education, thus propelling education in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to new heights.
About Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network
An education pioneer with deep roots in Hong Kong SAR, Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) Education Network encapsulates a unique educational pedigree that combines the best of Chinese and Western cultures with a mission to raise competent, compassionate, globally aware leaders who strive for a better world. Visionary educator Madam Tsang Chor-hang founded the first Yew Chung school and kindergarten in Hong Kong, China in 1932. In the 1970s, Dr Betty Chan Po-king picked up her mantle to provide high quality bilingual education. In the 1990s, Yew Chung was invited to Shanghai and Beijing to open schools for expatriate communities in the Chinese mainland. Madam Tsang was ably succeeded by her daughter Dr Betty Chan Po-king, who, along with her husband Professor Paul Yip Kwok-wah, later founded the YCYW Education Network to prepare Chinese and expatriate students to make lifelong contributions on the international stage.
With nearly a century of dedication to education, the YCYW Education Network now offers a complete track from early childhood to tertiary education. The Yew Chung Approach to Early Childhood Education: Centering Emergent Curriculum, Child-Led Inquiry, and Multilingualism explains the 12 Values that lie at the core of YCYW and form the basis of our pedagogy. The Yew Chung Approach offers a unique and innovative perspective in the field of education. It combines traditional Chinese Confucianism with Dewey's progressive education theory, affirms the importance of international education, provides a learning environment inclusive of both Chinese and Western cultures, and has laid the foundation for the innovative development of early childhood education curriculum in the 21st century.
YCYW has an extensive network of schools, including Yew Chung International Schools, the Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Yew Wah International Education Schools, Yew Wah Schools, Yew Wah International Education Kindergartens, Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Education Centres, and the Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Discovery Centres. YCYW schools are located in eight cities of China—Hong Kong SAR, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Yantai, Zhejiang Tongxiang—as well as in Silicon Valley in the US, and Somerset in the UK. YCYW provides quality education and growth opportunities to more than 12,000 students and teachers each year.
SOURCE YCYW Education Network
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