By Website Editor, 16 January 2012

Scotland's education and cultural links with Hong Kong have received a significant boost with the launch on 13 January of the Hong Kong Scotland Education Connection (HKSEC). Teachers from Morrison's Academy and Crieff High School and business and education leaders from Hong Kong attended a reception in Edinburgh hosted by the Scotland China Education Network.

Nigel Fong, a Hong Kong businessman educated at Morrison's Academy, inaugurated HKSEC with a passionate speech, drawing from his own experiences of developing education charities in Hong Kong and Guangdong province of mainland China. His slogan is “Make it happen”, and this was repeated by Patrick O'Kane, his former teacher at Morrison's, who stressed the enormous value of cross-cultural opportunities for both Scottish and Hong Kong pupils visiting each other's schools and homes.

Archie McGlynn, a former Chief Inspector of Schools and now Director of the Hong Kong Schools Self-Evaluation Network, explained how he had helped to transfer Scottish experience of school development to the Hong Kong system. Through such initiatives as school newspapers which have helped Hong Kong pupils to contribute to their school's growth in a way that the traditional Confucian style of teaching does not usually allow.

The launch's host, Judith McClure of SCEN, said “HKSEC has a powerful vision and inspiring leaders”, adding, “I am confident that it will enable teachers and pupils in Hong Kong and in Scotland to learn from each other and that it will grow”.

The launch of HKSEC was also supported by a wide range of Scottish organisations, including the Confucius Institute at the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow Confucius Institute, the Scotland China Association, The Blackford Trust and several leading businesses involved with China.

HKSEC's website can be found here.