Students and teachers from Hong Kong visit a DJI flagship shop in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province during a tour to witness the achievements of China's reform and opening-up in June 2018. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong's schools and other educational institutions are encouraged to actively integrate into the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), participate in the related construction and provide education services, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Monday. 

Lam attended the inauguration ceremony of the Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School, a 12-year school jointly operated by Shenzhen and Hong Kong, to promote the exchange of talent in the GBA, as she led a delegation including Hong Kong government officials to attend the High-level Meeting & Hong Kong-Shenzhen Co-operation Meeting 2021 on Monday. 

Tan Tieniu, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, also attended the ceremony.

"Education is an industry in which Hong Kong possesses an advantage, especially in higher education," Lam said in her speech delivered at the inauguration ceremony. 

"A number of universities in Hong Kong have opened or are opening new campuses in the GBA, which are anticipated to help nurture talent for the country and provide a broader space for Hong Kong youth to develop."

Lam thanked the country for the importance and care given to young people in Hong Kong, and said that the special administrative region's government will actively push forward the relevant work to help young people in Hong Kong seize the opportunity of national development and actively integrate into the overall development of China.

The establishment of the Shenzhen Hong Kong Pui Kiu College Longhua Xinyi School, a branch of Hong Kong's prestigious Pui Kiu College, is one of Hong Kong's attempts to further integrate its education into the GBA development. Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities reached an agreement on the establishment of the school in July 2020.

The school officially opened on Monday, welcoming its first batch of 1,200 students, of whom 1,000 are from Hong Kong and 200 from the Chinese mainland. 

With 80 Hong Kong teachers recruited, the Shenzhen-based school plans to teach an international curriculum in Chinese. The school hopes it can foster exchanges among youngsters in the GBA. 

Tommy Wong Tang-tat, the school's principal, said in late July that the school hopes to nurture more professional who are familiar with the GBA and have an international vision. 

Education is another sector that the Hong Kong government is working to improve, with an aim to rectify the problems that once existed and nurturing more young people who love the country and love Hong Kong. 

On Saturday, Lam delivered a speech via video to the students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen), which she said is a successful paradigm for higher education cooperation in the GBA.

Global Times