Shaping Hong Kong’s next generation of educators: as more teachers leave the profession, schools are feeling the effects – the School Leadership Academy aims to train new leaders to fill the vacuum
- CTF Education Group and Dr Arnett Edwards are launching the School Leadership Academy with a focus on Asian-centric education leadership programmes
- Hong Kong schools have lost nearly 12,000 teachers since 2021, more than quarter of them before retirement age, putting the pressure middle school leaders
Between a constant stream of new technology and the general shift to a more nurturing and holistic approach to education, students are not only taking in new knowledge at school but are also having to adapt to new ways of learning.
Students are today expected to put in effort at school, through online channels or extracurricular classes, to keep up with changes in the real world as they prepare for the future. Yet there’s little attention on how educators can enrich themselves and grow their leadership model to help prepare students for the future. That is, until now.
With 25 years in leadership roles in education, including serving as principal of Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong from 2011 until earlier this year, Dr Arnett Edwards saw this gap in the system.
In response, she’s developing a new set of tools to help educators become better equipped to teach the leaders of tomorrow. Together with the CTF Education Group, Edwards is set to launch the School Leadership Academy as its founding director and aims to “help educators develop future-ready leadership skills”.
Jennifer Yu Cheng, group president and deputy vice-chairwoman of CTF Education Group, says Edwards’ background and experience in school leadership will be invaluable in helping educators reach their potential and equip them with the tools to prepare students for the future.
Edwards, who obtained his doctorate in educational leadership at the University of Hong Kong, plans to devise an Asian-centric curriculum to strengthen educators’ leadership across the region.
“This academy is necessary to develop a strong talent pipeline of senior leaders and principals to meet future needs. It is hoped that the academy will help current and future school leaders navigate the changing landscape, equip them to lead and develop school ecosystems,” Edwards says.
The academy focuses on nurturing middle school leaders to become potential heads of schools, principals and senior leaders. According to Edwards, a programme to mentor and shape a new generation of educators is more relevant than ever as Hong Kong has experienced a mass exodus of teachers over the past several years and significant brain drain. “In the last academic year, about 6,500 teachers [left] Hong Kong schools, bringing the total [number of teacher departures] to nearly 12,000 since 2021. Of those 6,500 teachers, 3,540 resigned from primary and secondary schools before reaching their retirement age, up by nearly 30 per cent compared with the year before,” he says.
Schools are already beginning to feel the effects of this vacuum of talent. “This has put pressure on the pipeline of middle school leaders aspiring to become heads of school, senior leaders, and principals.”
This academy help current and future school leaders navigate the changing landscape, equip them to lead and develop school ecosystems
This academy help current and future school leaders navigate the changing landscape, equip them to lead and develop school ecosystems
With his wealth of experience in leadership roles in Asia, Edwards is well aware of the cultural nuances that put educators, learners and parents in a different position than their counterparts in North America or Europe. “Working with parents in Asia is different to working with parents in the UK or USA. In addition to the cultural or curriculum differences, parents in Asia tend to have higher expectations,” he adds.
The fast-paced school landscape means educators need to equip themselves with a new set of leadership skills. Edwards says one of the School Leadership Academy’s key mandates is to help education leaders, students and parents align their goals.
Leveraging CTF Education Group’s global network of schools and education programmes, the School Leadership Academy is well positioned to spearhead future-reading educators, argues Edwards: “[The academy] will enhance educators’ understanding in areas such as change management, co-creating in an ecosystem and leadership in a multicultural context.”
As to what those who sign on can expect to take away from the course, Edwards says he and his team are set to do a deep dive into what educators need and, with those findings, shape the curriculum in a meaningful way: “The School Leadership Academy is going to undertake a research project in Hong Kong to understand more about the skills, knowledge, behaviours and attitudes that middle school leaders require so that they can be future heads of schools, senior leaders and principals.”
The findings from this research will shape the Middle School Leadership Development Programme, which will comprise both online and physical courses beginning in the second quarter of 2024.
The academy will also launch its first mentorship programme in May 2024, and its first School Leadership Conference is set to take place in September 2024.
