- Hong Kong’s Education Bureau launched a HK$500 million funding programme to help primary and secondary schools integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning.
- Under the three-year scheme, selected schools will receive a one-off grant of HK$500,000, funded through the Quality Education Fund, to adopt AI tools and services.
- The initiative aims to accelerate digital education and improve AI literacy, aligning with Hong Kong’s 2025 Policy Address and long-term education strategy.
The Education Bureau, or EDB, of Hong Kong has started a large-scale funding scheme, involving a massive sum of HK$500 million, intended to assist primary as well as secondary institutions in incorporating artificial intelligence-based learning. The new funding scheme, titled 'AI for Empowering Learning & Teaching Funding Programme', was announced by a circular issued to all public sector schools as well as Direct Subsidy Scheme schools. This marks a new beginning towards accelerated digital learning.
According to the statement from the government, the three-year scheme will start from this year and will be funded through the Quality Education Fund. The scheme is one of the ideas contained in the 2025 Policy Address by the Executive of Hong Kong, who noted the importance of enhancing digital education in schools as highlighted by the Chief Executive of the government, John Lee Ka-chiu. In this address, he stated that an amount of HK$2 billion had been allocated from the Quality Education Fund to launch the recommended support schemes from the Steering Committee for the Strategic Development of Digital Education.
Of this, about HK$500 million will be allocated solely for the new program that focuses on artificial intelligence. Jeff Sze Chun-fai, steering committee chairman and Under Secretary for Education, said that this allocation is intended to enable schools to adopt flexibility in developing programs for artificial intelligence-enabled education, depending on their individual needs and development plans. This means that schools would be able to set up school-based programs that incorporate artificial intelligence to enhance teaching efficiency and enhance learning outcomes.
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In this scheme, the one-off grant of HK$500,000 will be given to the schools who have been shortlisted. By means of this scheme, schools are able to purchase, subscribe to, or lease AI devices and services that promote AI-assisted teaching and learning. Apart from that, schools are also able to subsidize student involvement in activities to improve AI literacy and competence.
The application for the programme is open from Tuesday, and eligible schools should apply as soon as possible. Generally, the selected schools should have received the block funding of HK$500,000 by no later than June 30 next year. This funding can be spent over the next three school years, from the 2025-26 school year through the 2027-28 school year, and the final deadline for spending is August 31, 2028.
This is taking into consideration the time the schools need for planning and adjusting the teaching and education in schools using AI technology. “This programme actually embodies our comprehensive planning for digital education, and one of our key focus areas is on artificial intelligence”, the Education Bureau explained. “We encourage all public-funded schools to participate, and our objective is to enable education through technology, further enhance the overall quality of teaching and learning, and ensure that our students are well-prepared for the future where AI plays an integral role”.
