That's how it goes

Topics at the forum, which attracted many foreign delegates, included the trend of people studying abroad and internationalising education.

Here, the reporters describe what they learned from the conference.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen was a guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony. He explained Hong Kong's approach to education, and how the city planned to deal with future challenges.

There were various seminars where experts discussed the initiatives taken by schools around the world to adapt to the growing demand for education.

I learned that countries were determined to improve their education systems. As a student, I am happy that priority is being given to primary and secondary education. It is also heartening to note that governments are introducing education reforms to help youngsters better equip themselves for the future.

I joined three sessions at the conference. They were: "Responding to the Rising Demands of Globally Mobile Students"; "Internationalising Higher Education: Unattainable Dream or Sustainable Reality"; and "Turning Tables on International Student Mobility".

There was a panel at each seminar and its members were asked to take opposing views on the topic. This not only stimulated a constructive debate but also allowed questions to be tackled from every angle. Overall, the seminars discussed factors that encouraged, as well as restricted, student mobility.

My favourite was the "Turning Tables on International Student Mobility" conference, which comprised a panel of five exchange students from the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University. Each student discussed a problem they encountered during their application process, and then proposed a solution for it. This, they hoped, would help future exchange students overcome any hurdles.

I attended the session called "Latin America: Challenges and the Future of Internationalisation". It focused on problems faced by the higher education sector in Latin America and what is being done about them.

Unlike Hong Kong, Latin American countries did not invest a lot of money in education. Only 35 per cent went to university. They are working hard to implement a diverse higher education system, with strong technological institutions and a government strategy to gain international recognition for their best research universities.

Compiled by Joyee Chan