Teachers need confidence through AI practice, says education chief

Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the government will step up practical training for teachers in the use of artificial intelligence, after a survey found that teachers rated their AI proficiency at only five out of 10.

Speaking at a Legislative Council education panel meeting on promoting digital education in primary and secondary schools, Choi said the government is pushing forward digital education to support the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan and its strategy of invigorating the country through science and education.

She said the aim is to nurture innovation and technology talent for a new era, with schools serving as the foundation for teaching and society acting as a partner. The government, she said, will promote the goal of bringing AI to all schools and students.

Teachers’ AI confidence under scrutiny

Election Committee lawmaker and City University of Hong Kong Council Chairman Michael Ngai Ming-tak said a survey showed that teachers rated their AI proficiency only 5 out of 10, reflecting a lack of confidence in applying the technology.

Ngai asked how the Education Bureau would ensure that teacher training remains up to date and keeps pace with technological development.

He also suggested that the bureau strengthen cooperation with higher education institutions to improve teacher training. He cited a recent AI open class for principals jointly organized by CityUHK and Tencent, which explored learning models in the AI era, the development of students’ critical thinking and ethical awareness, and attracted hundreds of principals to take part in teaching demonstrations.

In response, Choi said a self-assessed AI proficiency score of five was “fair enough,” adding that the bureau would continue to monitor the situation.

She said the government hopes to help teachers master the knowledge, theories and skills needed for AI education, while placing greater emphasis on application, practice and the sharing of successful examples so that teachers can build confidence through experience.

Building a digital education ecosystem

On cooperation with universities, Choi said the authorities’ Blueprint for Digital Education Development has already set out the goal of building an AI and digital education ecosystem through cross-sector and cross-boundary collaboration.

She said she had seen active participation from CityUHK principals and teachers in AI-related projects, and hoped to encourage more similar initiatives in the future.

Education sector lawmaker Tang Fei said the blueprint indicated that lesson observations and assessment criteria would include digital education elements. However, he said the implementation schedule was relatively tight, and the sector was concerned about how digital education would be evaluated in real classroom settings.

He urged the bureau to introduce small-group training sessions or demonstration lessons as soon as possible for schools to use as reference.

School inspections from 2027-28

Meanwhile, the education chief said the bureau hopes to conduct inspections on digital education in the 2027-28 academic year.

The first phase would focus on schools’ planning and how they make good use of the HK$500,000 funding to ensure all teachers understand the school’s positioning and strategy.

She said a good lesson should be assessed by what students learn, how they learn and what learning outcomes they achieve. She also said regardless of the teaching method used, the key question is whether students have met the intended learning objectives.

Choi added that professional teachers would understand how to answer these questions when designing and evaluating their lessons.
 

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