Hong Kong’s AI grant for schools shouldn’t leave out teacher training

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words\nThe Education Bureau’s announcement of the AI for Empowering Learning and Teaching Funding Programme is a welcome injection of resources to support the transformation of teaching and learning. Offering every publicly funded school a potential one-off grant of HK$500,000 (US$64,200) to buy software, hardware and platforms is generous support.\nHowever, a closer reading of the fine print reveals a flaw in the strategy – one that threatens to turn this investment into a classic case of “tools first, pedagogy last”.\nThe circular explicitly lists “subsidising teachers or parents to enrol/participate in AI-related courses/seminars/workshops” as an “improper use” of the funding. Schools are financially handcuffed when it comes to the most vital component of any educational reform: the teachers themselves.\nThis hardware-first, training-last philosophy will not result in sustained transformation. It assumes that if you place a powerful tool in a classroom, innovation will happen automatically. History tells us otherwise. We have seen waves of education technology trends – from interactive whiteboards to tablets – gather dust in corners because the pedagogy didn’t evolve to match the device.\nEffective transformation of teaching and learning begins and ends with human capital. Artificial intelligence is a paradigm-shifting technology that requires educators to rethink assessment, inquiry-based learning and ethics. To expect teachers to master “AI for all subjects” – the stated goal of the policy – without allowing schools to use this specific funding for professional development is unrealistic.\nThe evidence against a tool-first approach is overwhelming. In 2015, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s analysis of Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) scores revealed that countries just investing heavily in education technology saw “no appreciable improvement” in results. By aligning with research-based international consensus, we have the opportunity to support teachers in using technology as an amplifier for strong pedagogical practices.\nThe circular does mandate that schools organise experience-sharing sessions and open classes, which is an excellent requirement. These sessions will be much richer if they are an end point of well-designed change management exercises underpinned by thoughtful professional development.\nIf we want AI to be the “core driving force behind digital transformation in schools”, we must invest in the drivers, not just the vehicle. A HK$500,000 cheque for hardware is a shiny object. A HK$500,000 investment in teacher capacity is a legacy.\nJustin Hardman, founder and CEO, 21st Century Learning\nIntervention needed when owners’ corporations fall short\nI refer to the article “Hong Kong fire: authorities seek to dissolve Wang Fuk Court owners’ committee” (December 19).\nI applaud the efforts of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau in appointing a property management company to assist in Wang Fuk Court’s management. What surprised me was that this was an unprecedented move! Surely there have been poorly managed buildings in the past – not to mention in the present – that could have done with the government’s assistance.\nAlso appreciated are the amendments to the Building Management Ordinance, effective from July 13 this year, aimed at improving the transparency and accountability of those in charge. How does the government plan to ensure that owners’ corporations and their management committees adhere to these regulations? Should the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau have better communication with the Lands Tribunal to detect infringements in the formation and maintenance of management committees?\nWhether owning or renting, all residents require a safe and hygienic place of abode. It is my hope, and I assume the hope of all Hong Kong residents, that all properties are managed safely and professionally. The government should step in more proactively in the future to prevent tragedies, not just mitigate the consequences after they happen.\nJean Lim, Tai Wai\nAustralians must unite and rise above Bondi tragedy\nWhat an appalling atrocity the antisemitic Bondi Beach attack was and one that must be unequivocally condemned. This is not the Australia I have come to know and love in my now 80 years on this earth.\nSomehow we must rise as a nation above this great evil and unite against it without succumbing to the national disunity that now threatens. This is a complex and difficult problem we must somehow solve before it gets out of control.\nAustralia is better than this and we must all put our backs to the wheel to secure the national unity so severely threatened by that barbaric Bondi Beach attack.\nTerry Hewton, South Australia, Australia\n