In collaboration with Heep Hong Society, the School of Education and Languages (the School) of Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) co-organised a seminar to explore the challenges and opportunities of on-site pre-school rehabilitation services. The seminar fostered cross-regional exchange and collaboration in inclusive education, providing a valuable learning platform for local and Mainland educators and inspiring them to more effectively support young children with special educational needs in their teaching practices.

Themed “Pathway to Inclusive Early Childhood Education: Challenges and Opportunities”, the seminar was successfully held at the HKMU Jockey Club Institute of Healthcare on 13 June. The event was honoured to have Ms Doris Man Suk-fan, Chief Social Work Officer (Rehabilitation and Medical Social Services) of the Social Welfare Department, as the officiating guest. Joining her as distinguished guests were Ms Rachel Leung Wai-ling, Chief Executive Officer of Heep Hong Society; Mr Clifford Chow, Vice President of the Lee Hysan Foundation; and Prof. Andy Chin Chi-on, Dean of the School at HKMU. The event attracted over 300 participants, including teachers and staff from various higher education institutions, primary schools and kindergartens in Mainland China and Hong Kong.

In his opening remarks, Prof. Chin commended Heep Hong Society for its longstanding contributions to promoting inclusive education in early childhood and expressed his gratitude for its close collaboration with the School over the years. He noted that Heep Hong Society had assigned experienced professionals to participate in the teaching of selected courses and organised diverse learning activities for HKMU students. This valuable partnership enables students to gain practical insights into the key considerations when teaching children with special educational needs, laying a strong foundation for their future careers in the field of education.

The event was divided into morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session featured seminars and panel discussions led by three experts from different regions: Dr Shirley Soh, Assistant Director (Early Childhood & Inclusion) at Singapore's first inclusive preschool; Prof. Su Hui-ching, Assistant Professor in the Department of Childhood Education and Enterprise Management, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology; and Mr Vergo Cheng Kwong-yin, Educational Psychologist I at Heep Hong Society. Each expert shared valuable insights into the implementation, development and challenges of inclusive early childhood education in their respective regions. In the afternoon, four thematic workshops were held, focusing on topics such as fostering an inclusive culture in early childhood education, enhancing learning participation and developmental support, and the current landscape of early inclusive education in the Mainland.

Dr Dorothy Tong Nga-yui, Assistant Professor in the School, presented a collaborative project with Heep Hong Society in one of the workshops, detailing how diverse learning activities, customised learning tools and real-time broadcasts were used to support parents and children with special educational needs in preparing for the transition to mainstream primary education.