HONG KONG, July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education has become a hot topic in Hong Kong in recent years, as the city strives to better equip students to realize their potential in science and technology. Students are the future pillars of Hong Kong society, and creative technology is an important building block for the future development of our city. With the advent of the 5G era, new technology will help transform Hong Kong into a smart city. The importance of enhancing science education and fostering talents in creative technology is becoming more and more obvious.
China Mobile Hong Kong has long been committed to pushing forward the development of 5G technology. The company formed the 5G Innovation Centre to better enable the development and promotion of 5G development, incubate and collaborate on innovative applications and products, and build a cross-industry ecosystem that thrives on shared success. China Mobile Hong Kong has teamed up with the Modern Education Research Society and the Hong Kong Learning Active Promotion Society to launch the world's first 5G STEM Pilot School Initiative, marking the first step of 5G+ Education.
The launch ceremony held today was hosted by Mr. Sean Lee, Director and Chief Executive Officer of China Mobile Hong Kong, Mr. Wong Sing, President of Modern Education Research Society and Mr. Yam Siu Kei of Hong Kong Learning Active Promotion Society, and, together with other guests of honor, to witness this important breakthrough of education and learning innovation in Hong Kong.
The Initiative received an overwhelming response from the education sector, with more than 200 primary school applications received during the recruitment phase. Ultimately, 18 schools were selected by a professional judging panel to become the pilot schools where the STEM primary school curriculum incorporating 5G concepts will be tested during the coming school year. China Mobile Hong Kong and its partners will work closely with these schools to optimize the course. The goal is to expand the program to more than 500 primary schools in Hong Kong by September 2020.
Working together with education community to promote 5G STEM education
Today's launch ceremony was joined by guests, including teachers and students from the 18 pilot schools, the host of the pilot initiative and partners. "We are very pleased to launch the 5G STEM Pilot School Initiative in collaboration with Hong Kong Learning Active Promotion Society and Modern Education Research Society. Both are long-standing education organizations in Hong Kong - and as one of Hong Kong's leading mobile network operators - China Mobile Hong Kong has long been committed to spearheading the development of 5G technology, sparing no effort in promoting the development of Hong Kong as a smart city. We will continue to foster creative talents in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, and firmly believe that this 5G-focused STEM course will help us enhance the quality of teaching and learning, while opening up new opportunities to students in the field of science and technology, and inspire creativity," said Mr. Sean Lee, Director and Chief Executive Officer of China Mobile Hong Kong.
"We have been committed to delivering various teaching materials and educational activities for many years now; with the advancement of science and technology, these teaching materials have evolved beyond the scope of traditional printed books. This pilot initiative is a good chance to provide students with better learning experiences and encouragement in learning, by incorporating the new 5G technology into STEM education," according to Mr. Wong Sing, President of Modern Education Research Society, a long-established teaching material publishing organization in Hong Kong.
"The 5G STEM Pilot School Initiative will provide a multi-faceted learning experience to students, while allowing schools to deliver the fun of STEM education in a way that is more innovative, faster and more stable," said Mr. Yam Siu Kei from the Hong Kong Learning Active Promotion Society.
A Six-in-One Pilot School Initiative
The pilot schools were awarded a plaque at today's launch ceremony, commemorating the official start of the pilot school initiative. China Mobile Hong Kong, the Modern Education Research Society and the Hong Kong Learning Active Promotion Society will join together to provide participating schools with a series of learning packages and activities for 5G STEM courses.
As the first mobile network operator to receive a 5G network trial permit and the first to complete the end-to-end testing of 5G networks, China Mobile Hong Kong will be responsible for 5G technology and IoT support, and using its synchronous classroom platform to create a "One Platform" for accessing products from the 5G STEM alliance, to provide academic resources and communication capabilities for the education community. At the same time, Modern Education Research Society will provide a "One Set of Teaching Materials" tailored to 5G technology, while the 5G STEM alliance will provide "One Set of Teaching Aids", and the NB-loT and LTE chips, IoT cards, development boards as well as OneNET platform will be provided by China Mobile Hong Kong. The initiative will create "One Base" at each school to showcase 5G CPE equipment. Finally, China Mobile Hong Kong will continue to hold "One Series of Activities", including cross-border exchange programmes, visits to the 5G flagship showroom and 5G Lab to enhance the school's understanding of 5G development.
The pilot school initiative will be the first phase of the development of the 5G STEM curriculum. The 18 participating schools will each allocate five to twenty teaching hours in the General Studies and/or Computer classes for the piloting of the first iteration of the 5G STEM curriculum during the 2019-2020 school year. The schools will provide advice and feedback to the developers of course materials and hardware, in an effort to optimize the course in a complementary manner. In the second phase, more primary and secondary schools are expected to join the pilot initiative. The goal is to carry out the third phase in September 2020 by promoting the 5G STEM course to more than 500 primary schools across Hong Kong.
5G Technology to Lead Education and Social Development
5G technology will bring unlimited possibilities and be widely used in our daily lives, commerce and manufacturing. The demand for capacity, speed, and stability of devices is especially high for the learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The high-speed, high-capacity, and low-latency features of 5G technology will redefine the STEM teaching model, allowing students to fully unleash their creativity, and for teachers to broaden the topics of teaching, and even promote and encourage a multi-faceted guideline for education.
A number of exhibitors from the 5G STEM alliance also presented a variety of interactive products based on 5G technology, including the technology-focused "Mars Rover" and drones. China Mobile Hong Kong also exhibited a number of new 5G technology products such as "Janken Machine" and "Portable Live Broadcast", allowing students to experience first-hand how the 5G network will drive the development of Hong Kong science and creativity, and further understand the future evolution of 5G.
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About China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited
China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited ("CMHK") is the wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited (HKEx: 941) (NYSE: CHL), which ranks 53th on the Fortune Global 500. CMHK was incepted in January 1997 and was the first mobile network operator to launch PCS services in Hong Kong.
The Company offers innovative and comprehensive communications services, including voice, data, IDD and international roaming through 4G LTE, 3GHSPA, GPRS, EDGE and other technologies. The Company is committed to the development of 5G network, combining with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, IoT, cloud computing and big data, integrating 5G applications in different industries, promoting the construction and development of smart city groups in Greater Bay Area.
* China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited. As of 31 December 2017, China Mobile Limited had the largest number of mobile network subscribers in the world.
Hong Kong Learning Activities Promotion Society
Since the establishment in 2015, the HKLPS has been diligently promoting local learning activities and curriculum reform. She has jointly organized activities with organizations such as the OPEC, IAU and others for promoting "Self-directed Learning", "Environmental Education" "STEM" and other educational activities for teachers and students. As a major organizer of the 5G STEM Pilot School Scheme, the LAPS again proved its commitment on promoting local curriculum development and educational reform.
Modern Educational Research Society HK ltd.
The Modern Educational Research Society was established in 1957. She is an educational publisher with long history and well-known reputation. The tenet of the MERS is to publish high quality educational materials. As a matter of fact, she has published over 500 different subjects and categories of teaching materials which cover pre-primary, primary, secondary and even post-secondary education levels over past 62 years. Apart from producing high quality textbooks, it has become a company task of the MERS to contribute to the local educational and social cultural reform through holding educational seminars, workshops and exhibitions.
Recently, in order to support the development in ICT in education and STEM education, the MERS has put forth even greater effort to supply effective, interactive and vigorous learning and teaching materials, as well as organize territory-wide education activities. To jointing launch the 5G STEM Pilot School Scheme is an example.
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Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190708/2518078-1-b
