MIT student shines at Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award

Mr Cloof Siu Chun-ping, a student from the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Secondary) – Information and Communication Technology (BEd(S)-ICT) programme, was awarded the Gold Award at the Twelfth Hong Kong Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award competition co-organised by the Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association and the Hong Kong Prospective Teachers Association. He was nominated by Mr Mike Chui Hin-leung from the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT).

A total of 147 students from various higher educational institutions in Hong Kong participated in this year’s competition. After two rounds of assessment, 48 participants were named outstanding prospective teachers. Ten finalists received gold awards, ten silver, and ten bronze, along with eighteen merit titles at the final award-presentation ceremony on 5 April 2025. Mr Cloof Siu from MIT was one of the ten gold award winners.

“I am proud to represent FLASS and EdUHK in this meaningful event. As a major in information and communication technology (ICT), I am fully aware of how profoundly technology is transforming our world. To prepare our future generation for these monumental changes, science and technology education is indispensable. I will seize every opportunity to share my knowledge in ICT and other emerging technologies through extracurricular courses and experiential learning activities particularly in secondary schools,” the gold award winner said.

Cloof noted that studying at FLASS and EdUHK has enlightened him on the important role of educators. “The award not only acknowledged my teaching efforts but also encouraged me to integrate robotics technology, STEM knowledge, and innovative spirit into education. I am particularly interested in strengthening the learning elements in projects involved with the EdUHK Robotics Team and my start-up Makerholic. I will dedicate myself to becoming a responsible and forward-thinking educator who embodies the values of FLASS and EdUHK,” he said.

Mr Mike Chui Hin-leung from the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology (MIT) has taught Cloof in various MIT courses and has been one of his mentors over the past few years. “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Cloof for his remarkable achievement. Cloof has shown a strong ability to acquire new technologies and an enthusiasm for STEAM education. He is a high-calibre leader of the school’s Robotics Team: he enjoys working with his like-minded teammates and friends around the world, and is always able to motivate his peers with his enthusiasm. I am glad to see him converting his enthusiasm for technology into a passion for teaching,” Mr Chui said.

Ms Michelle Li, Permanent Secretary for Education, officiated the award-presentation ceremony. She stated that the Education Bureau of the HKSAR government will invest more resources in teacher training and professional development, and will strengthen cooperation with relevant educational institutions to train more high-quality teachers for Hong Kong, promote the culture of passing on the torch in education, and contribute to Hong Kong’s strength in building a strong nation in education.

The Twelfth Hong Kong Outstanding Prospective Teachers Award competition, jointly organised by the Hong Kong New Generation Cultural Association and the Hong Kong Prospective Teachers Association and sponsored by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, took place from January 2024 to April 2025. The judging panel comprised education professionals from various universities, as well as principals from secondary schools, primary schools, and kindergartens. They evaluated 147 nominees based on five criteria: vision, self-cultivation, enthusiasm and mission for education, social commitment, and teaching competence.

Following several rounds of teaching plan evaluation, interviews, and mock teaching, the judging panel decided on ten gold champions, ten silver winners, ten bronze medallists, and eighteen merit award winners. The awards presentation ceremony took place on 5 April 2025, where gold award winners received a cash prize of HK$5,000, while silver and bronze award winners were awarded HK$3,000 and HK$1,000, respectively. All recipients were also presented with a trophy and a certificate.

The organisers hope that the annual event will inspire prospective teachers from various higher education institutions to pursue their educational aspirations and continually enhance their professional skills. Additionally, the event aims to foster a supportive environment where prospective teachers can learn from one another and their seniors, and to help build a larger learning community to promote educational development.

FLASS students bagged a total of seven awards, including four gold awards, two silver awards and one merit award. In addition to Mr Cloof Siu Chun-ping, Mr Chris Ho Chun-hong from the Bachelor of Education (Honours) Programmes (Primary) - General Studies (Humanities and Science) programme, and Ms Emily Cheung Yu-yi and Ms Alice Li Yuen-ying, both from the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Business, Accounting and Financial Studies), also received gold awards.

Gold Award

Silver Award

Merit Award