Media

The Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is ranked third globally in the latest 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) World Rankings by Subject, and is the only university in Asia to rank in the top 10.

The Faculty of Education’s curriculum is highly forward-looking and professional. The five-year full-time degree programme in Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and Special Education [BEd(ECE&SE)] is the first curriculum in Hong Kong that covers both early childhood education and special education. Graduates will be eligible to register as Qualified Kindergarten Teachers, Child Care Workers, Child Care Supervisors, Special Child Care Workers, as well as considered to have met the academic qualifications required as kindergarten principals.

Increasing demand for professionals in early childhood education
Hong Kong’s education policy has increasingly attach greater importance to early childhood education and and special education, and recurrent expenditure on childhood education is on the rise year on year. The service places of On-site Pre-school Rehabilitation Services (OPRS) funded by the Social Welfare Department has increased from 5,000 to 7,000 children, allowing 21 non government organisations to provide onsite rehabilitation services to children with diverse needs through a multidisciplinary team of special child care workers, language therapists, and occupational therapists. These organisations are funded to recruit more trained and experienced kindergarten teachers and special child care workers for the OPRS, and the demand for qualified early childhood and special education practitioners are on the rise.

The only five-year full time programme in Hong Kong which covers both early childhood and special education
Many local post-secondary institutions and universities have started to offer pre-service bachelor degree courses in early childhood education in recent years, yet HKU’s Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Education and Special Education [BEd(ECE&SE)] is the only one that places equal emphasis in both specialisms.

In the five-year programme, students are placed in child care centres, special child care centres and kindergartens for a total of 16 weeks to complete their teaching practicum. This allows them to integrate theory with practice, and to gain a good grasp of the knowledge, skills and attitude required to become a competent early childhood and special education practitioner.

The curriculum emphasises interdisciplinary knowledge. Special electives include “Children and the Law” taught by professors from the Faculty of Law and “Child Health” taught by pediatricians from the Faculty of Medicine. This gives students the opportunities to learn from different professionals and acquire multidisciplinary knowledge and skills.

The curriculum also focuses on cultivating students' critical thinking, analytical and reflective abilities. Before graduation, each student has to conduct an independent research project of their interest under the guidance of a Faculty member. This experience helps them to acquire the research skills and exploratory mindset necessary to tackle early childhood and special education issues.

For media enquiries, please contact Dr Diana Lee, Programme Director of the BEd(ECE&SE) programme (Tel: 3917 0357 / email: leediana@hku.hk), or Ms Emily Cheung, Senior Manager (Development and Communications), Faculty of Education, HKU (Tel: 3917 4270 / email: emchy@hku.hk).