Hong Kong Institute of Education set to become city’s eighth publicly-funded university
Executive Council approves its university title and renames it the Education University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Institute of Education is set to become the city’s eighth publicly-funded university, after the Executive Council yesterday approved its university title and renamed it the Education University of Hong Kong.
The remaining challenge is for the school to gain support from the Legislative Council, where the proposed amendment to the Institute of Education Ordinance will be introduced on March 2.
The institute’s president Stephen Cheung Yan-leung said he was delighted and excited at reaching the milestone as it represented recognition.
“I won’t be able to sleep tonight,” he said. “I’m too happy.”
The institute’s latest application for university status was submitted in July 2014 following a failed attempt in 2009 when the University Grants Committee (UGC) said it was not appropriate to grant such status to an institution focusing on a single discipline. Since then, the institute has been granted funds to run non-education courses in areas such as social sciences and languages.
UGC chairman Carlson Tong said the committee had considered all relevant factors, including the institution’s vision, strategic direction, academic breadth, governance, academic standards, research accomplishments, staff and resources.