New CUHK-HKIEd Programme Grounds Teachers in English

(From left) Prof. Peter Skehan, head of graduate division and postgraduate linguistics coordinator, Department of English, CUHK; Dr. Wendy Lam of the Department of English, HKIEd; Dr. So Kwok-sang, registrar, HKIEd; Mr. Lee Shu-wing, director of registry services, CUHK; Dr. Philip Hoare, head of the Department of English, HKIEd; and Prof. Cecilia Chun of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, CUHK

A joint degree programme in English Studies and Education has been launched by the Chinese University and the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The programme is the first collaborative project announced by the two institutions since the heads of both signed an Agreement on Deep Collaboration in teacher education in July 2005.

Announcing the details of the BA (honours) in English Studies and Education at a press conference on 13th December, Mr. Lee Shu-wing, director of registry services at CUHK, said the programme is an excellent example of how the strengths of the two institutions can be combined to enhance the quality of teacher education.

The curriculum is well-integrated and customized to train professional and caring teachers with a solid foundation in English language and literature, as well as strong pedagogical knowledge and skills. Graduates of the programme are eligible for registration as qualified English teachers in primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.

Students of the four-year programme will spend two years at each institution and will have a wide choices of courses from which to choose. They will also spend one semester in an English-speaking country and perform teaching practice in local schools in the last two years of their studies.