Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin today began a visit to Shanghai, together with a Legislative Council Panel on Education delegation, to learn about the innovation and technology (I&T) development of local higher education institutions and special education there.

They visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Grand neoBay Sci-tech Innovation Park to learn about result transformation projects of higher education institutions and the experience of teachers and students of such institutions in starting up businesses.

The group also toured the university's Student Innovation Center to understand how it nurtures students' capabilities to put their innovative and business ideas into practice, and ignites students' potential to innovate and start a business through teaching, I&T competitions and institution-industry collaboration.

At the Minhang Special School for Mentally Retarded Children they found out about its self-developed special education lesson plans, activities and research.

The school offers nine years of free education and has extended this to pre-primary education and vocational education in recent years, providing comprehensive education for intellectually and physically disabled students.

The education chief and the delegation also met East China Normal University representatives to exchange views on patriotic education and digital transformation in education in primary and secondary schools.

Ms Choi pointed out that the Education Bureau has been adopting a multipronged and co-ordinated approach to support and encourage primary and secondary schools to deliver national education and national security education.

The bureau will continue to work proactively in alignment with the national requirements on patriotic education, promote patriotic values, and strengthen students' identification with the country and Chinese culture.

She noted that in line with the national strategy on digital education, the bureau has been striving to promote digital transformation in education by enhancing the information technology environment in primary and secondary schools to facilitate learning and teaching effectiveness.

Ms Choi added that she looked forward to the higher education institutions in Shanghai and Hong Kong continuing to further promote scientific research co-operation and student exchanges.