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Hong Kong’s new digital education blueprint aims to standardize fragmented school-based teaching and strengthen students’ critical thinking to prevent over-reliance on artificial intelligence, Curriculum Development Council member Ray Cheung Chak-chung said on Thursday.
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His comments came after the Education Bureau on Wednesday released the Blueprint for Digital Education Development in Primary and Secondary Schools, which was compiled by the council.
The blueprint proposes the formulation of an AI literacy learning framework to systematically nurture students’ knowledge, skills and ethical values in relation to digital technology.
Speaking on a radio program, Cheung said local schools currently develop their digital and AI curricula independently, resulting in varying standards across the sector. He said the new blueprint would provide schools with a clearer and more cohesive direction.
He stressed that upper primary and junior secondary students should be trained to question online information and identify misinformation. Schools should also adopt a “tech-for-good” and “human-centric” learning model to foster students’ moral values, he added.
Under the new requirements, schools must incorporate digital education into their development plans starting from the next school year. Teachers will also be required to complete at least 30 hours of digital education training every three years.
While Cheung acknowledged that the number of training hours may not be sufficient, he said a structured and tiered approach through regular government training would help steadily enhance teachers’ skills.
Lai Chun-wing, an executive committee member of Education Convergence and principal of HKTA The Yuen Yuen Institute No.3 Secondary School, said schools can refine their existing AI education schemes under the new framework, which would help narrow development gaps among schools and teachers.
Lai acknowledged that compulsory training may add to teachers’ workload, but said integrating AI into teaching is an inevitable trend and students need proper guidance from educators to use artificial intelligence responsibly.
He called on authorities to adjust other requirements to give schools sufficient time for teacher development, and suggested launching a dedicated platform for educators from different schools to share practical experience in AI teaching.
