The historical roots of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) can be traced back to 1853 when the first formalised programme of in-service teacher training was introduced in St Paul’s College and 1881 when the first Government Normal School was established by the then Governor of Hong Kong, John Pope Hennessy, in Wan Chai. 

With increasing interest in and demand for teacher education from the government and the public, the Northcote College of Education (1939), Grantham College of Education (1951), Sir Robert Black College of Education (1960), the Hong Kong Technical Teachers’ College (1974) and the Institute of Languages in Education (1982) were founded respectively to provide formal teacher education in Hong Kong.

On 25 April 1994, under the recommendation made by the Education Commission Report No 5 (ECR 5), the Hong Kong Institute of Education was formally established by statue by amalgamating the former four Colleges of Education and the Institute of Language in Education with a view to upgrading teacher education and professional development.

From 1994 to 1997, HKIEd operated from a Main Office on Hong Kong Island and seven campuses and offered mainly Certificate Courses in Education and In-service Training Courses. In 1997, the Institute moved to its new campus in Tai Po.

In 2004, the Institute celebrated its 10th anniversary, a milestone in the Institute’s history, as well as a 65-year heritage rooted in a 150-year tradition of teacher education.

In 2009, HKIEd unveiled the Strategic Plan for 2009 – 2012 and Beyond – “Planning for the Future, Making a Difference”, following the Government’s endorsement of the stand-alone option proposed by the University Grants Committee’s Review Group for it to become an education-focused, research-strong and multi-disciplinary institution.

The Institute, in 2010/11 academic year, launched its first non-Education programmes of Bachelor of Arts in Language Studies and Bachelor of Social Sciences in Global and Environmental Studies, followed by the third non-Education programme, Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts and Culture, in the 2011/2012 academic year.

Today, 84% of Hong Kong’s primary school teachers and 30% of secondary school teachers are graduates of HKIEd or its predecessor colleges of education. We are a pioneer in early childhood education and have trained, over the years, some 80% of Hong Kong’s kindergarten teachers. We emphasize the provision of total learning experience to our students, who in turn will become inspiring teachers to their own students in schools.

As the largest teacher education provider in Hong Kong, our focus remains teacher education, guided by an “Education-plus” framework. Under this framework, we continue to broaden the range of our disciplines and subject specialisation.

The Institute offers a wide range of graduate and undergraduate degree programmes including research degree - Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Philosophy. We also offer Higher Diploma/Certificate in Education programme in early childhood education and a variety of in-service Professional Development Programmes and other programmes in Post-secondary, Secondary, Primary, Pre-primary, special education, and professional and vocational education. 

Milestones for the HKIEd