The Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education advocates lifelong education and practice-based concepts of education. It is committed to cultivating the students’ lifelong learning ability. We constantly explore and innovate learning models to create opportunities for students to experience in the real world. This process not only allows students to master knowledge and skills in professional fields, but also understand the meaning and value of learning. The college takes “obviousness” as the motto, creates a personalized learning environment, and provides soil for the transformation between subject-based education and domestic needs. It is expected that students will regard graduation as a new starting point and continue to move forward on the road of lifelong learning.
In order to further implement the concept of lifelong learning, we have consolidated the training strategy, “one profession, two skills, three experiences, and four infinite hearts”. In addition to taking a professional course, students can also undergo group-based specialties covering different categories according to their interests, so as to master two distinctive types of skills. In this way, students will not only master the knowledge of other subjects, but also have a better understanding of their career development. They will also have keener competitiveness after entering the society. “Three Experiences” connotes that students can further obtain from the College’s new “Incubation for Lifelong Learning Scheme (ILLS) aside from the professional experience of the selected course and the experience of group-based specialty disciplines. They can have valuable work experience and learn practical skills under the guidance of the “mentor”. “Four Infinite Hearts” refers that the College attaches importance to the four good ideas of “mercy, sadness, joy and sacrifice”. It is devoted to nurturing students’ righteousness so that they can inherit the essence of culture, appreciate the peace and joy of life, and showcase the wisdom of openness.
Lifelong learning ability is one of the anticipated learning fruits of Hong Kong’s higher education studies, but many courses may not clearly indicate which specific skills include the relationship between these skills and lifelong learning, and how to cultivate students’ growth in this regard. In recent years, the College has cooperated with off-campus institutional partners to launch the Lifelong Learning Incubation Program (ILLS) and establish a series of incubation projects from which students can choose one as their own learning project with their in-depth participation. The incubation project is different from subject learning. Students are working in a diversified and changeable working environment, being in contact with the learning process of knowledge, skills and concepts beyond the subjects.
I would like to emphasize in particular that the core tasks of the College are to develop and promote Buddhism-based learning and practice, and to provide various levels of post-secondary education and professional development courses to meet the needs of domestic services and human resources. The course is result-oriented, solely based on the whole-person education, and practical learning as the process so that students can expand the scope of their knowledge and vision through inter-disciplinary study for strengthening their ability of applying what they learn.
Today, with the rapid social development, inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary learning modes are captivating more and more attention from the public which also reminds us not to stick to our own strengths. We must catch up with the tempo of the social, scientific and technological progress, by looking at the world from the perspective of development and paving a new royal road for trailblazers.
Speech by Prof. Thomas Wong Kwok Shing, Acting President