In 1926, a renowned Chinese educator Tao Xingzhi sharply criticised the direction of rural education in China: “China’s rural education has gone down the wrong path! It teaches people to flee the countryside for the city, to eat rice without growing grain, to clothe themselves without growing cotton, to build houses without planting trees. It teaches people to envy luxury and disdain agricultural labour.” Unfortunately, nearly a hundred years later, rural education continues to be urban-oriented. It is alienated from the social and economic development of the countryside and runs counter to the trend of revitalisation in rural areas. Today, rural education is facing urgent challenges. It must reorient its relationship with rural society, to better serve the sustainable development of the countryside.
To aid systematic investigation into the question of rural education and seek new ways forward, the Faculty of Education of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has established the China Rural Education Literature (CREL) Database with the support of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation and mark the launch of the CREL Database, the Faculty will host an online symposium on rural education in December 2022. The symposium will feature keynote speeches by three scholars in the fields of education and rural development. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, we hope to spur educational innovation that supports rural development.
Members of the media are invited to attend the online event. Details are as follows:
Date: December 15, 2022 (Thursday)
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 nn (HKT)
Format: ZOOM Webinar
Registration: https://bit.ly/rural_education_forum
Livestreaming registration: https://live.bilibili.com/22364449
Rundown:
Welcome Speech
Professor Yang Rui, Dean of the Faculty, HKU
Opening Remarks
Mr David Day, Chief Executive, Tin Ka Ping Foundation
Introduction to the China Rural Education Literature Database
Dr Wang Dan, Associate Professor of the Faculty, HKU
Keynote Speech I: Engaging Rurality: Research Gaps and Practice Opportunities
Dr Philip Roberts, Faculty of Education, University of Canberra
Keynote Speech II: Education for Sustainable Development: The Case of Rural Green Eco-Friendly School
Ms Yang Guiping, China Zigen Rural Education and Development Association
Keynote Speech III: Rural Revitalization Demands Reconstruction of the Rural Community
Professor Yan Hairong, Tsinghua Institute for Advanced Study in Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University
Round Table Discussion and Q&A Session
Moderator: Dr Wang Dan
Language: Putonghua and English (Interpretation provided)
For more details, please visit: https://web.edu.hku.hk/event/detail-page/rural-education-forum.
For media enquiries, please contact Ms Emily Cheung, Senior Manager (Development and Communications), Faculty of Education, HKU (Tel: 39174270 / Email: emchy@hku.hk).
