HKIEd was founded in 1994 by way of the merger of five colleges of education, the oldest of which (the former Northcote College of Education) was established in 1939. In other words, it has over 70 years of teacher education legacy and is at present the leading teacher education provider in Hong Kong. Following the promulgation in 2009 of our Strategic Plan 2009-12 and Beyond, HKIEd has embarked on a journey of transformation into a fully-fledged University of Education – Education-focused, multidisciplinary, and research strong.


Under the new "Education Plus" vision, and building upon our traditional strength in Teacher Education, we have been fast expanding our academic scope and consolidating the Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines, as well as Creative Arts and Culture. We have diversified our range of programme offerings - at the Bachelor, Postgraduate Diploma, Master, Executive Master, and professional and research Doctorate levels. We also provide a full range of professional development programmes to meet in-service and community needs.


We now feature 5 Institute-level research centres and 10 Faculty-level research and development centres, covering various areas of expertise in Education, Social Sciences and the Liberal Arts. At the international level, the Institute hosts a United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Lifelong Learning. Through this UNESCO Chair, HKIEd is playing an active role in regional development and social progress. HKIEd also houses a UNESCO Observatory for Research in Local Cultures and Creativity in Education.


At HKIEd we are proud of our core mission to promote the strategic development of Teacher Education in Hong Kong. As we rise to the challenge of "powering education" in the 21st century, our expertise and energy will help strengthen Hong Kong's position as a regional education hub. Internationally, we seek to play our distinctive role in leading education and policy discourse and shaping regional and global agendas for education and social progress. (Welcome from the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education)