SHANGHAI, June 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) Education Network and the Hong Kong Policy Research Institute (HKPRI) co-hosted “Understanding the Past, Building the Future Together: The Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Policy Research Report Launch and Forum” at the Hongqiao Campus of Yew Chung International School of Shanghai (YCIS Shanghai) Puxi. The event brought together leading education experts, scholars, and practitioners to explore the latest policy developments and future prospects of the HKDSE.
Understanding the Past, Building the Future Together: HKDSE Policy Research Report Launch and Forum was successfully held.
The HKDSE is a pivotal academic system in Hong Kong SAR. It provides local Hong Kong students with an authoritative certification for further education and career development. Because of its international curriculum and widespread recognition, HKDSE also serves as a connection to global higher education. An objective, systematic, and comprehensive academic study of HKDSE policies is particularly important because of the diverse interpretations of the HKDSE and the increasing interest in the HKDSE within the Chinese mainland and international education markets in recent years.
Mr Jiang Li, Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Division, United Front Work Department of CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee; and Ms Liu Liping, Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department of Changning District, attended the event. YCIS Shanghai is YCYW’s first school in the Chinese mainland, as well as the first independent international school in Shanghai to have been accredited by the Chinese Government. For decades, YCYW’s commitment to providing families in the Chinese mainland with quality international education has received strong support from Government Departments.
In her welcoming speech, Dr Betty Chan Po-king, YCYW Chief Executive Officer and School Supervisor, remarked: “YCYW has remained steadfast to our founding mission of ‘Honouring China’, and striving to be a trailblazer in international education in China. Our unique identity—globally minded yet deeply local, and infused with Chinese values—aligns with the curriculum philosophy of the HKDSE. Through our bilingual learning community and holistic education approach, we will deliver an HKDSE experience that meets Hong Kong SAR’s standards.” In response to the diverse market interpretations of the HKDSE, Dr Chan called for “Understanding the Past” by leveraging the research of Hong Kong SAR’s think tank. This would promote constructive discussions empowering students to seize international opportunities for further education, “Building the Future Together”, and would ultimately advance Chinese education globally.
The Research Report on the Current Status and Development Trends of HKDSE, (thereafter referred to as “The Report”) was jointly released by: Mr Jiang Li, Director; Ms Liu Liping, Deputy Minister; Dr Betty Chan Po-king; Mr Li Nai You, Director & CEO of HKPRI; Mr Li Weiping, Secretary General of the International Education Association Shanghai; Mr Yao Heng, President of the Shanghai Hong Kong Association; and Ms Chen Baojin, Vice President of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, at the launch ceremony. The Report was compiled by the HKPRI. The HKPRI was established in 1995 by Professor Paul Yip Kwok-wah, a renowned patriot and consultant to the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR. The HKPRI is a leading non-profit, independent think tank in Hong Kong SAR, dedicated to promoting the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong“, and “patriots administering Hong Kong” through public policy research.
Ms Jamie Hu, Researcher at the HKPRI, highlighted key aspects of The Report: This Report maintains an objective and neutral stance, adopting a humanistic and developmental approach. Based on empirical research data and policy, The Report provides an academic analysis of the implementation of the “Learning, Examination, Assessment, and Admission” process of the HKDSE. It further explores the challenges and opportunities for HKDSE’s future development, thus offering education professionals and parents objective reference for policy analysis.
Mr Yeung Teng, Founder of Zaidao Education Technology (Hong Kong) Limited & DSEonline, and President of HKUST (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology) Guangzhou Alumni Association, provided three strategic guidelines for HKDSE candidates, to align with HKEAA (Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority) assessment design and JUPAS (Joint University Programmes Admissions System) admissions logic. He advises students to begin with the end in mind; develop a structured framework for examination preparation; and prioritise a scientific approach to their studies.
Mr Rick Cao, Authoritative Advisor of YCYW HKDSE Programme, and GBA University Resource Centre Consultant at Hok Yau Club, emphasised the following in his presentation: The HKDSE has established a three-track pathway for higher education—Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese mainland, and overseas. HKDSE is recognised by thousands of global higher education institutions and by 145 Chinese mainland universities participating in the “Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions”. On the basis of its integration of Chinese and Western educational philosophies, YCYW can holistically strengthen its students’ competitiveness for further studies.
Mr Richard Zhang, Regional Executive Principal of YCYW, and Former Head of the Institute of Leadership and Education Advanced Development (ILEAD) of the Academy of Future Education of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, delivered a keynote address titled “HKDSE Curriculum from a Cultural Embeddedness Perspective”. He noted: As a paradigm of non-Western international curriculum rooted in Chinese culture, the HKDSE provides an Eastern approach to global education. This approach is characterised by cultural adaptability and academic rigour, and achieved through its integration of cultural identity and pedagogical science.
As a Hong Kong SAR-based educational institution with more than 90 years of experience integrating the best of Chinese and Western educational philosophies, YCYW remains committed to meeting the diverse needs of our students for further education. The co-hosted launch of The Report exemplifies the integration of our extensive teaching practice with the think tank’s specialised research, thereby providing strong support for the development of HKDSE. Furthermore, in the 2025-2026 academic year, YCYW will introduce the HKDSE Programme into existing curricula at YCIS Shanghai, YCIS Beijing, YWIES Guangzhou, and YWIES Zhejiang Tongxiang, creating expanded global pathways for our students to excel in future competitions.
The event also featured parallel sessions where YCYW’s HKDSE specialists provided university admissions counselling and HKDSE mock examination on English Language (Speaking). Two outstanding HKDSE graduates also drew on their personal experiences to share insights into how their preparation approaches differed from those used for the Gaokao (China’s National College Entrance Examination) and HKDSE examination.
Building on The Report from the HKPRI, YCYW will collaborate with peers in the education sector to combine professional analysis with empirical case studies. This joint effort will empower students and parents to clarify pathways for further education, develop optimal educational plans, and secure admission to world-leading universities.
Please click here to download the Research Report on the Current Status and Development Trends of HKDSE (in Chinese only).
About Yew Chung Yew Wah Education Network
An education pioneer with deep roots in Hong Kong SAR, Yew Chung Yew Wah (YCYW) Education Network has a unique educational pedigree that combines the best of Chinese and Western cultures with a mission to raise competent, compassionate, globally aware leaders who strive for a better world. Visionary educator Madam Tsang Chor-hang founded the first Yew Chung school in Hong Kong, China in 1932. In the 1970s, Dr Betty Chan Po-king picked up her mantle to provide high-quality bilingual education. In the 1990s, Yew Chung was invited to Shanghai and Beijing to open schools for expatriate communities in the Chinese mainland. Madam Tsang was ably succeeded by her daughter Dr Betty Chan Po-king, who, along with her husband Professor Paul Yip Kwok-wah, later founded the YCYW Education Network to prepare Chinese and expatriate students to make lifelong contributions on the international stage.
With nearly a century of dedication to education, the YCYW Education Network now offers a complete track from early childhood to tertiary education. The book, The Yew Chung Approach to Early Childhood Education: Centering Emergent Curriculum, Child-Led Inquiry, and Multilingualism, encapsulates the experience and wisdom of YCYW’s early childhood education, as represented by the 12 Values. The Yew Chung Approach offers a unique and pioneering perspective in the field of education. It combines traditional Chinese Confucianism with the Western progressive education theory represented by John Dewey, and emphasises providing learners with a learning environment inclusive of both Chinese and Western cultures. The approach has established the foundation for the innovative development of early childhood education in the 21st century.
YCYW has an extensive network of schools, including Yew Chung International Schools, the Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Yew Wah International Education Schools, Yew Wah School, Yew Wah International Education Kindergartens, Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Education Centres, and the Yew Wah Infant and Toddler Discovery Centres. YCYW schools are located in eight cities of China—Hong Kong SAR, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Qingdao, Yantai, Zhejiang Tongxiang—as well as in Silicon Valley in the US, and Somerset in the UK. YCYW provides quality education and growth opportunities to more than 12,000 students and teachers worldwide each year.
