Govt Ardently Backs Gifted Education

While education is important for nurturing talent, support for gifted students is also crucially important. This is why the Government ardently backs the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education as part of its goal of helping students to lay a foundation for their future development.

Funded by the Education Bureau, the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education is a non-profit organisation that provides various courses for local gifted students aged 10 to 18 for the purpose of giving them the help they need to achieve their full potential.

The academy currently has over 8,000 student members and offers up to 400 courses each year that cover the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) fields.

Key support

Sixteen-year-old Jane Poon, who joined the academy ever since she was a Primary 4 student, has a keen interest in design and environmental issues. She hopes her future career is related to both subjects.

After witnessing a serious plastic pollution problem during a beach outing, she and her team of other gifted students were motivated to invent the EcoVender machine that encourages people to reduce their use of disposable utensils.

The concept was inspired by rental mobile phone chargers. Users can simply scan the QR code on the machine with a mobile application that enables them to borrow and return a set of reusable stainless steel utensils. The design won third prize in the Secondary 1 to 3 group in the City Innovation & Technology Grand Challenge in 2021.

Jane said: "The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education gave us a lot of support, allowing us to learn coding, application design, and machine assembly. Together with the guidance of a teacher arranged by the academy, we successfully created the EcoVender.”

Glowing success

In addition to providing different courses, the academy also trains students to participate in various local and overseas competitions. In March, Form 5 student Oscar Chan and his teammates participated in the Safe Cracking International Physics Tournament held in Israel and won three prizes, including the overall third place.

Their design involved two physics puzzles. To attract challengers, the team incorporated popular elements and created a background story for the entry, making it one of the most popular attractions among participants.

Oscar also began participating in the academy's activities since primary school. Given his enthusiasm for physics, mathematics and coding-related courses, Oscar hopes to use the knowledge he gains from his courses in the field of mechanical engineering in the future. This is why he particularly cherished the opportunity he was given to participate in the tournament in Israel where he exchanged ideas with students from other countries who are also interested in mechanical engineering.

Multilateral collaboration

Most of the courses offered by the academy, which cater to students of different ages and interests, are not widely available in regular schools. Among others, the courses include aviation technology and quantum computing.

Jimmy Wong, the academy's executive director, explained that multilateral collaboration between schoolteachers, parents and the academy is crucial when it comes to gifted education. He also pointed out that gifted students may not necessarily be the top students in terms of academic results. In this instance, the academy offers courses and workshops for teachers and parents to help identify gifted students and provide appropriate support in a timely manner.

"Gifted students often show their potential in childhood, and parents can encourage their children to read more and explore more," Mr Wong said.

Additional resources

Gifted education is an important component of expanding Hong Kong’s talent pool and strengthening its competitiveness. The Education Bureau has been adopting the Three-tier Implementation Model for Gifted Education to enhance such education as well as identify and nurture gifted students.

As an example of its commitment to this win-win goal, the Government set up the Gifted Education Fund in 2016 to encourage and subsidise more institutions and organisations to extend or deepen the Off-school Advanced Learning Programmes for gifted students. A total of $1.6 billion has been injected into the fund since its establishment. An additional $600 million will be allocated this year for the fund to strengthen STEAM education.

Additionally, the Advisory Committee on Gifted Education gives advice to the Government on the development and use of resources for gifted education. Dr Eugene Chan, the committee’s chairman, emphasised that the additional funding reflects the Government's dedication to providing gifted education for all talented learners.