"The establishment of the HKPRI Guangdong Representative Office relies on strong support from all parties. Moving forward, it will continue to provide practical and feasible recommendations for national construction and participation in global affairs, supporting and promoting the development of the Greater Bay Area," said Mr. Li Naiyao. (photo on right)

(Photo on right) Mr. Liu Maozhou said, “The establishment of the Guangdong Representative Office by the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute in Qianhai symbolises the evolution of Hong Kong-Shenzhen cooperation from 'collaboration' to 'integration’.” As a leading area for deep integration and development between Shenzhen and Hong Kong SAR, Qianhai will play a key role in the coordinated development of the service and manufacturing industries. We hope that the representative office can provide high-quality policy suggestions to promote the integrated development of both regions and contribute wisdom to the practice of 'One Country, Two Systems’.”

(Photo on right) Mr. Wang Jinxia stressed that, “HKPRI Guangdong Representative Office officially landed in Qianhai now, this will become the institution’s springboard for exerting strength and influence, collaborating the research resources and expertise in Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese mainland, striving to extend concrete influence leveraging the public policy in the two territories. Qianhai will continue to support HKPRI to expand research space, enhance research standards and leverage the influence of think tanks to provide high-quality and efficient services.”

Professor Guo Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee at Tsinghua University, delivered a special invited address via a recording. He said, ”Warm congratulations on the establishment of HKPRI Guangdong Representative Office, and high praise for its contributions to the fields of public policy research and education. It is believed that with the support of all parties, the Guangdong Representative Office will make significant contributions to the development of the Greater Bay Area, advancing innovation in education, technology, and talent. We also look forward to this forum further enhancing educational cooperation between Hong Kong SAR and the Chinese mainland, and boosting regional innovation capabilities.”

The summit featured four keynote addresses with a focus on the theme "Research and Practice of Quality Early Childhood Education in China and Abroad". YCCECE Professor Shi Ping and Dr. Zhang Ye shared topic on the “Background, Concepts, Process, and Outcomes of a Research Project on Kindergarten Quality Assessment Standards in the Chinese mainland”.

Professor Shi Ping has introduced the background and motivations of the College in developing a specific scale in Quality Assessment for kindergartens in China. She has also shared her views on the quality of kindergartens’ childcare and education. ​Dr Zhang Ye then followed up on introducing the objectives and design of the scale, Kindergarten Quality Rating Scale (CKQRS), as well as sharing the results of the validation they have performed in demonstrating the scale is a comprehensive, reliable, and valid assessment tool for kindergarten quality.

Professor Iram Siraj, OBE, Professor of Child Development Education and Senior Research Fellow from the Oxford University and Honorary Advisor of YCCECE, delivered an address delving into professional development in the early childhood education and outcomes. Her speech titled “Can Professional Development Improve the Quality of Teaching and Child Development in Early Childhood? Findings from a Randomised Controlled Trial of the Leadership for Learning Intervention.” In her study featuring the Fostering Effective Early Learning (FEEL) study, it showed that Professional Development programme has a strongly positive impact on the quality of practice, in areas of curricular and interactional quality investigated, and that it led to improved outcomes for young children in key domains.

Professor Li Minyi from Beijing Normal University Faculty of Education delivered a keynote presentation titled “Development and Quality Enhancement of Preschool Teacher Workforce - International Experience and Chinese Narratives”, her study compares the development and quality enhancement of preschool teacher workforce in local and international contexts. Professor Li is also the Honorary Professor (ECE and Care) of YCCECE.

Dr. Huang Runke, Assistant Professor Applied Psychology of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) School of Humanities and Social Science, introduced her study on enhancing teaching quality and promoting child development through evidence-based teacher professional development programmes in Shenzhen. It focused on teachers’ pedagogical skills and used a randomised control trial design involving 24 preschools. The PD programme proved to improve classroom interaction and teaching quality, in the long run positively affected children’s literacy, numeracy and executive function skills.

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