HPE organises webinar to discuss students’ diets and future development of home economics

Over the last decade or so, people have been growing increasingly aware of the relationship between good health and food nutrition. To help equip in-service teachers with a better understanding of this trend, the Department of Health and Physical Education (HPE) organised the “Home Economics and Nutritional Health Webinar” on 24 August to discuss students’ diets and the future development of home economics in schools.

The webinar, which attracted over 100 educators, parents and students in attendance, was presided over by Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Vice President (Academic) and Provost, and Mr Eugene Fong Yick-jin, Chairman of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation. Multimedia celebrity Ms Karen Cheng Sui-man, and nutritionists Ms Wong Wai-ching and Ms Choi Ling-ling were invited to deliver keynote speeches revolving around the preparation of nutritional menus.

Educators from EdUHK Jockey Club Primary School, Baptist (Sha Tin Wai) Lui Ming Choi Primary School and Po Leung Kuk Laws Foundation College shared their experience in promoting a healthy diet in schools. Dr Eric Poon Tsz-chun, Assistant Professor in the Department of HPE, also shared his perspective on nutritional problems faced by students during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Dr Andy Tse Choi-yeung, Acting Head of the Department of HPE, ended the webinar with his concluding remarks. Dr Lobo Louie Hung-tak, Senior Lecturer I and Associate Head of HPE also attended the activity.

Professor Lee said, “As a higher education institution with a primary focus on teacher education under our “Education-plus” vision, we spare no effort in catering for the needs and expectations of society by cultivating professional educators. To meet the evolving demands of society regarding health and nutrition, the University is planning to launch a new Certificate in Professional Development Programme on “Learning and Teaching in Home Economics/Technology and Living” next year, for in-service subject teachers. The new programme aims to keep course participants on top of the trends and developments in the area, while taking into account various pedagogical needs.”

Professor Lee added that the 10-week-long programme to be hosted by HPE will cover a wide range of topics, such as food and nutrition, fashion and textiles, and family studies, in addition to the developments and pedagogies of home economics. Plans are also being made to launch a Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme for the subject, to cope with the shortage of teachers.

During the webinar, Mr Eugene Fong said, “Home economics plays a crucial role in students’ personal development, as it is closely linked to their everyday lives. I am most pleased to learn of EdUHK’s plan to prepare more home economics teachers, in line with social demand.”

Dr Andy Tse said the teaching of a home economics curriculum that incorporates the essentials of nutritional sciences in secondary schools is very important, as it enables students to understand more about how food intake affects their health and growth. He hoped the webinar would promulgate the importance of nutritional diets and its influence on health among different stakeholders including educators, students, parents, and nutrition experts.

“For years, school administrators have found it difficult to find trained professionals to teach home economics in secondary schools. We hope the new Certificate in Professional Development Programme and Postgraduate Diploma in Education Programme in the pipeline will train up a new generation of home economics teachers, hence giving a fresh impetus to schools to reopen home economics classes,” he concluded at the webinar.