Policy Forum on Education Transitions and Career Readiness in the Greater Bay Area Successfully Held at CUHK

Policy Forum on Education Transitions and Career Readiness in the Greater Bay Area Successfully Held at CUHK

The Faculty of Education at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) successfully hosted the Policy Forum on School Transition and Readiness for College and Career in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) on 6 June 2025. Organized under the Research Consortium for Education Policy and Development in the GBA (ReCEPD-GBA) and co-chaired by Professor Kenneth K. Wong (Brown University) and Professor Dongshu Ou (CUHK), the forum brought together diverse group of researchers and practitioners from Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau, Australia, and the United States. With generous support from the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, the forum served as an open platform for scholars, students, educators, and policy professionals to examine education transitions and their long-term implications for college access, career readiness, and labor market outcomes in the GBA.

In his opening remarks, Professor Xitao Fan, Dean of CUHK’s Faculty of Education, emphasized the forum’s importance in demonstrating CUHK’s leadership and commitment to regional education research. Professor Wong welcomed the diverse group of researchers and highlighted ReCEPD’s ongoing efforts to inform evidence-based policy development. Professor Ou introduced the day’s agenda and reiterated the forum’s objective of building cross-border collaborations and producing actionable insights for education systems in the region.

The forum featured three academic sessions and a final practitioner panel. In the first session, titled “STEM Learning and Educational Equity,” presenters explored how current education structures shape access to STEM fields and influence long-term academic and employment outcomes. Professor Yun Dai (CUHK) analyzed the role of AI tools such as ChatGPT in supporting not just technical proficiency but also epistemic reflection in science learning. Professor Oi-Lam Ng (CUHK) discussed challenges in the transition from secondary to tertiary mathematics, recommending better curricular alignment and teacher collaboration. Professor Dongshu Ou (CUHK) shared findings from a large-scale analysis of Hong Kong’s 2009 New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum reform, which increased university enrollment, STEM major selection, and employment participation, but also raised concerns about the dilution of academic rigor.

The second session, “Student Academic and Social Growth toward College and Career Readiness,” focused on the role of socio-emotional skills and structural supports in helping students navigate transitions. Professor Ronnel King (CUHK) and Professor Wang Yi (Macau University of Science and Technology) examined how classroom, school, and family contexts influence students’ social-emotional competencies, suggesting these as key leverage points for intervention. Ms. Maggie Fok (CUHK) investigated the prevalence and implications of redshirting practices in Hong Kong and Macau, drawing on PISA 2015 and 2018 data. Professor Stephen Chiu (EdUHK) presented outcomes from the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development (HKBM), which demonstrated positive effects on students’ career readiness and engagement with structured life planning activities.

The third session, “Higher Education Access and Labour Market Opportunities,” addressed policy-level questions around the expansion and stratification of postsecondary education in the GBA. Professor Bingqin Li (UNSW) and Professor Zhonghan Wang (Xi’an Jiaotong University) discussed the dual pressures GBA universities face in reconciling global ranking ambitions with local development needs. Professor Yan Cao (Guangzhou University) highlighted how higher education expansion impacts income inequality, arguing for a balance between equity and efficiency. Professor Ping Du (Beijing Normal University) assessed the competitiveness of high school teacher salaries, showing improvements in teacher qualifications and gender equity, while cautioning against regional disparities in resource allocation.

In the final panel discussion on secondary education transition and readiness for postsecondary opportunities, speakers from education and industry addressed challenges such as weak coordination between schools, universities, and employers, and limited opportunities for career exploration. Professor David Yongqin Chen (CUHK-Shenzhen), Mr. Raymond Yeung (FutureNow Data Technology Ltd.), and Principal Sandra Lee (Kowloon True Light School) proposed solutions such as integrated career planning platforms, strengthened life planning education, and experiential learning to support soft skills development and postsecondary readiness.

In their closing remarks, Professors Wong and Ou reflected on the day’s discussions, emphasizing the urgent need for coordinated policy responses to address student development and workforce mobility across the region. They reaffirmed the forum’s role in advancing research-informed policy dialogue and building networks to support sustainable education reform in the GBA. The event concluded with a shared commitment among participants to deepen collaboration and jointly respond to the evolving educational and economic demands of the region.