Speaker Bio

Professor Lee Chi-Kin John is Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK).
He was Dean of Education and a Professor at the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Professor Lee joined EdUHK (the then Hong Kong Institute of Education) in 2010. He was Vice President (Academic) from 2010 to 2019, and Vice President (Academic) and Provost from 2019 to 2023. He is President of EdUHK since September 2023.
Professor Lee’s research interests focus on curriculum and instruction, geographical and environmental education, life and values education, and teacher development and school improvement. He is active in leading education research and development projects and has a solid track record in securing external grants. Professor Lee was named among the top 1% most-cited scientists in the world in the latest list released by Stanford University (2025). He was a Fellow of the Hong Kong Primary Educational Research Association.
Professor Lee has actively participated in education and social service in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and overseas. He has held many visiting, guest and adjunct professorships at universities overseas and in Chinese Mainland. He has served as Changjiang Scholar Chair Professor, conferred by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. He had also served as a Member of the Academic Committee of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Primary and Secondary Schools Principal Federation and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the Center for Hong Kong and Macao Research of South China Normal University. In addition, he was appointed by the Hong Kong SAR Government as a Justice of the Peace (JP).
Professor Lee has served as a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the UNESCO Chair in Regional Education Development and Lifelong Learning, a Research Fellow of The Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), and Director of the Academy for Educational Development and Innovation, and Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education at EdUHK.

Speech Summary

This keynote address examines the evolving landscape of educational development amid profound technological, socio-economic, and policy transformations. Anchored in the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid revolution of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and national strategies such as the People’s Republic of China’s Fifteenth Five-Year Plan alongside Hong Kong SAR’s aspiration to become an international hub of education, the address will explore how these forces reshape the foundations of curriculum design and pedagogy.
Drawing on Joseph Schwab’s concept of Curriculum Commonplaces—teacher, learner, subject matter, and milieu—the keynote will interrogate the fundamental questions of “where,” “why,” “what,” “how,” and “whom” in curriculum and educational development. In doing so, it will highlight the shifting roles of curriculum scholars and practitioners, while generating critical issues, prospects, and challenges for further inquiry. This exploration aims to provoke reflection and dialogue on the future of education in a rapidly changing global context.

Speaker Bio

Professor CHENG May Hung May is currently Vice President (Academic) and Chair Professor of Teacher Education of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). 
 
Professor Cheng began her teacher education work at the Sir Robert Black College of Education in 1990. As a long-serving member of EdUHK and the former Hong Kong Institute of Education, she has taken up academic leadership positions at different stages, such as Associate Vice President (Academic Affairs), Registrar, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Associate Dean (Programmes), and Programme Director. Between 2010 and the end of 2011, Professor Cheng was a Reader in Professional Education in the Department of Education at the University of Oxford, and a fellow of the Governing Body at Kellogg College. 
 
Professor Cheng graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a BSc (First-class Honours) degree, a Certificate in Education (Distinction) and a Master’s in Education. She obtained a PhD at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She served as President of the East Asian Association for Science Education (EASE) from 2016 to 2019. Professor Cheng has actively participated in and made contributions to the international teacher education and science education arena. 
 
She has been an International Committee member of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching in the US, and has chartered status as a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in the UK. She is on the editorial boards of various international journals, such as Cogent Education, and Teaching and Teacher Education.  She has obtained various research and project grants from the General Research Fund, the Quality Education Fund and the Education Bureau. She is also a prolific writer, having edited and written more than 13 books and published over 140 journal articles and book chapters.

Speech Summary

In an era characterised by rapid globalisation, accelerated technological advancement, and pervasive societal transformation, educational systems worldwide are being compelled to respond proactively to what the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2018) describes as a VUCA environment, marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Globally, Initial Teacher Education (ITE) systems are increasingly influenced by economic, political, and cultural imperatives, while intensified policy attention to teacher quality, accountability, and professional standards is continually redefining both the knowledge base expected of teachers and the modalities through which they are prepared. These conditions have shifted from being episodic disruptions to constituting enduring characteristics impacting the contemporary ITE landscape.
This presentation first examines how ITE systems worldwide have been reshaped by the challenges and opportunities arising from global drivers of change, and foregrounds discussion of countries’ policy priorities, cultural historical legacies, and local realities. At the same time, patterns of convergence and divergence in ITE practices have emerged from the dynamic interplay of global pressures, local reforms, and adaptations to data intensive policy instruments, emergent technologies, resource disparities, and demographic shifts.
Against this backdrop, Hong Kong is situated within a context of profound, multidimensional change, shaped not only by global trends but also by local demographic shifts and new guidelines and standards on teachers’ professional roles, including conduct and ethics. This presentation will examine how Hong Kong ITE programmes addressed challenges to update their curricula with renewed foci in line with local and national imperatives. The changes include advanced digital literacies, evolving professional roles for teachers, and contextually responsive mindsets that attend to the expectations of schools and communities. To conclude amid volatility and systemic disruption, Hong Kong’s ITE is a significant contributor to international debates on cultivating adaptable, resilient, and future oriented teachers.

Speaker Bio

Professor Dr. Haji Noor Azam bin OKMB Hj Othman, Professor of Linguistics in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), holds a BA Honours in English Language Studies from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), an MA in Applied Linguistics from Cardiff University, a PhD from the University of Leicester, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from Brunei. He has held prominent leadership roles at UBD, including Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dean of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE), Director of the Centre for Advanced Research, and Founding Director of the UBD-FPT Global Centre in Da Nang, Vietnam, where he also serves as Visiting Professor. 
A leading scholar in English language and linguistics, with expertise in applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, multilingualism, language ecology, and bilingual education in the Bruneian context, Professor Noor Azam has delivered professorial lectures such as "The Ecology of Language in Brunei: Diversity, Interplay and Equity," reflecting his commitment to exploring language diversity, equity, and interplay in multilingual societies. His research contributions include publications on minority language documentation, dominant language transfer effects, bilingual education policies, and the role of religious schools in promoting bilingualism.

Speech Summary

In an era of unprecedented economic volatility, environmental imperatives, and rapidly evolving societal demands, universities must move beyond incremental adaptation to fundamental redesign. This keynote addresses a critical question: what does it mean for a university to be truly future-ready?
Universiti Brunei Darussalam offers a compelling case study. Recent institutional momentum, evidenced by a significant upward trajectory in global rankings, multiple subjects achieving their highest-ever positions, and successful entry into international associations, demonstrates that purposeful transformation yields measurable results. These achievements are not ends in themselves but indicators of deeper change.
This presentation offers a practical framework anchored in three pillars: Innovation in teaching and learning, Inclusion as institutional DNA, and Impact that extends from graduates to communities. The keynote engages directly with Professor Emeritus Dato' Seri Ir Dr. Zaini Ujang's recent challenge at UBD to move "from normal to postnormal ecosystems" in financing and leading academia – a concept with profound implications for all institutions navigating uncertainty.
The keynote concludes with actionable lessons for cross-border collaboration across the Maritime Silk Road, arguing that networked, co-creative partnerships – not solo excellence – define the future-ready university. Ultimately, the question is not whether universities will change, but whether we will lead that change with courage, equity, and purpose.