With the intensification of globalization and its international competitiveness as a key benchmark, universities are under pressure to increase their social and economic growth while remaining sustainable. ‘institutional brand, ' the way how an institution presents itself to the public, is a valuable asset for higher education sustainability. Through multiple case study methodology, this research showcases Hong Kong universities institutional brand-building processes to achieve their regional and global standing. It is argued that Hong Kong universities often spell out their branding strategies and persuade and push their staff adhere to intuitional vision and mission, with the hope that such an identification with the institutional brand will lead to corporate sustainability. Copyright © 2022 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

This study in the research domain of higher education sustainability addresses issues of policy and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in and through Hong Kong public universities. The purpose of the study was to critically analyze the problématique of achieving the SDGs by the Hong Kong higher education sector. The study used a post-empiricist qualitative design with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis and an embedded case study methodology in order to explore the issues of the SDGs policy and implementation in eight public Hong Kong universities. The concept of sustainability ensoulment and the Higher Education Institution Sustainability Model served as a theoretical grounding for the interpretative analysis. The interpretive results showed a broad range of university responses and governmental support for SDGs despite small number of universities, and a score of authentic SDGs-related efforts, which were fully embedded into the educational mission of the universities. The essence from the interpretive analysis of the data suggests that the universities’ authentic attainment of the SDGs requires a ‘salutary detachment’ from putting excessive priorities on superficial sustainability standards and considering universities’ global ranking league tables as their principal goal. The study provides a structured discussion within five thematic areas: (1) regional-dominant sustainability challenges; (2) financing structure and independence; (3) institutional organization; (4) extent of democratic processes; and (5) communication and interaction with society. The research argues that a genuine SDGs attainment originates from what universities know best and regard as their threefold mission—research, teaching and knowledge transfer—to effectively generate global citizens with full ensoulment of the SDGs spirit and values, and thus, turning universities into authentically sustainable institutions. Copyright © 2022 Education Research Institute, Seoul

This paper critically examines the dominant Asian Higher Education managerialism from the perspectives of the so-called Southern and/or Post-colonial Epistemology. Despite the fact that the archaic form of colonization—with its territorial occupation, exploitation, loss of subjectivity and knowledge manipulations —seems to be over, Asian Higher Education today shows clear signs of being engulfed, once more, by new forms of colonization and imperialism under the guise of rational administration and management that affect its core missions of knowledge production and subjectivity formation. This paper compares Higher Education in Korea, Japan and Hong Kong to argue that there is a significant resemblance between Asian modernization process hijacked by colonialism and the ongoing neo-liberal waves against Asian higher education. Copyright © 2018 CESHK.

The field of education is vast and diverse with rare consensus and law-like research findings. An exception is an agreement over the fact that childhood should be protected and their education, fostered. Intriguingly, the concept of childhood did not exist in the West until well into the 17th century, and it owes its emergence not to ‘grand' advances in science but to social instability and degradation brought about by pre- and post-Westphalian inter-national conflicts. It is out of sense of pity for lost childhood that gave birth to its very concept. Honoring the theme of the 2016 Conference of the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong, ‘Education for Peace', I examine conflict and post-conflict childhood as a unit of analysis in international and comparative education field. It is argued that comparative studies on conflict and post-conflict childhood tend to focus on the immediacies (in time and place) of ‘still-hot conflicts' but little attention is paid to mid-and long-term alleviation and preventive education.

This book demonstrates the value of approaching education from a sociological and philosophical perspective. Specifically, it addresses current and long-standing educational issues in the Asia-Pacific region, integrating sociological and philosophical insights with practical applications in four key areas: educational aims, moral education, educational policy, and the East-West dichotomy. It discusses educational aims in terms of rationality, philosophical thinking, and sustainable development and presents the literary, religious, and analytical approaches to moral education. Four educational policies are then considered: Hong Kong's language policy, Hong Kong's policy on the internationalization of education, East Asia's policies on English education, and Australia's policy on teacher education. Different aspects of the East-West dichotomy are analysed: Confucian rationalism versus Western rationalism, Confucian learning culture versus Western learning culture, and Asian research methodology versus Western research methodology. Taken as a whole, the book shows that issues in education are rarely simple, and looking at them from multiple perspectives allows for rich and informed debates. It presents a rare philosophical and sociological analysis of the cultures and experiences of education in the Asia-Pacific region, and promotes research that leads to more culturally rooted educational policies and practice.
[Copyright © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore]

The influence of school or family on students’ development is widely recognized as essential. Cultural factors which affect students’ use of information and communication technology (ICT) need to be further explored. This research on digital divide analyzed the interview data from principals, teachers, and students from two Hong Kong junior secondary schools. The main findings suggest that cultural divide at school and home can significantly affect the phenomenon of digital divide in education. The cultural factors in school most associated with high ICT usage were the school principals’ culture and values regarding ICT. Parental values, such as demanding but harmonious parent-child relationship, were the most influential home cultural factors. The results of the study suggest that the phenomenon of digital divide could be eased by previously overlooked gaps in school and family culture. Some suggestions and limitations were also provided in the conclusion.