The International Conference on Primary Education 2009 will be held at The Hong Kong Institute of Education from 25-27 November 2009.

UNESCO declared 1979 the International Year of the Child with the slogan: “The future is theirs. The responsibility is ours.” Thirty years on, The Future is Theirs: Visions for Primary Education in the Twenty-first Century will look again at this responsibility throughout those formative years of schooling, focusing on the ways in which primary schools can provide pathways to the future for young people. Nineteenth century ideas about schools do not help with this task and the conference is a starting point for deliberations about a twenty-first century vision for schools.

According to Professor Kerry J Kennedy, Chairperson of the Conference Organising Committee:

"This is a most challenging time in which to hold such a conference. We witness daily the transformation of the international economic system and we witness regularly failed attempts to resolve major international tensions. We live in a world that for some is rich in technological advances but for others cannot provide clean water. We know that education cannot by itself solve these problems: but we also know that education can prepare a generation of thinkers and problem solvers who can start to address the problems in a serious way. This education cannot be left to the later years – it must begin as early as possible so that the potential of young people can be harnessed for the difficult challenges ahead. A key function of this conference is to provide a platform for professional dialogues and problem solving. Hopefully, we shall explore new ideas to help confront these troubling times, new approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, new possibilities for student engagement and an exploration of the values that will be needed to underpin our preferred future."   

Sub-themes (in alphabetical order):

• Assessment and Student Achievement

• Citizenship and Character Education

• Curriculum Development and Innovation by Schools and Teachers

• Diversity and Inclusive Education

• Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

• Guidance and Counseling

• Home, School and Community

• Language and Literacy

• Learning in and out of Classroom

• Policy and Social Context of Education

• School Leadership and Management

• Supporting Transition – Interfaces at Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary Levels

• Teacher Education, Leadership and Professional Development

• Teaching and Education Innovation

• Tomorrow Classroom and ICT

 For details, please visit http://www.ied.edu.hk/primaryed/index.html