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LCQ5: Establishment of smart education platform and large language models 
Question:
 
     It has been reported that the Mainland has set up a national smart education public service platform (“smart education platform”) covering primary and secondary education, vocational education, higher education and lifelong learning to provide personalised online interactive learning materials along with round-the-clock support for students and continuing education participants. Some members of the community have suggested that the Government should prioritise the establishment of large language models (LLMs) and an education platform applicable in Hong Kong’s education system and incorporate therein correct history, culture and values so as to elevate the quality of education and the depth of cultural inheritance in the territory. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the total numbers of educational institutions in Hong Kong (including universities, secondary and primary schools, and vocational education institutions) which have currently established on-premises LLMs for subject-based education;
 
(2) whether it has plans to develop LLMs of subject-based education with local characteristics for use by students and people pursuing further studies in Hong Kong; if so, when the development will begin; if not, whether it will consider establishing such models; and
 
(3) given that the Mainland has already established a smart education platform, whether the Government will consider discussing with relevant Mainland authorities the possibility of replicating the platform in Hong Kong and adapting them for use by local educational institutions at various levels, following integration with the local curriculum?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     As global digitalisation continues to progress, the Education Bureau (EDB), in line with the national strategy for invigorating the country through science and education, actively promotes education innovation and takes forward digital education in order to nurture future talents to embrace the challenges and opportunities in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the formation of the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education, we have identified the directions and key focus areas for digital education, and are continuously optimising the curricula, strengthening relevant training for teachers, improving digital education infrastructure, enhancing learning platforms and AI technology as well as collaborating with stakeholders from various sectors, with a view to promoting the implementation of digital education and enhancing the quality of local education.
 
     Our consolidated reply to the question raised by Professor the Hon William Wong is as follows:
 
     With training in the form of deep learning of massive amounts of text data, large language models (LLMs) are able to generate natural language text and handle various natural language tasks such as text summarisation, questioning and answering, and translation. In the field of education, the application of LLMs serves as a learning and teaching aid which assists teachers in preparing lessons, setting questions and marking assignments on one hand, and help students search for information, obtain writing advice, etc on the other hand. At present, the application of LLMs in teaching is being developed and improved continuously. To effectively enhance the quality of education and the depth of cultural heritage, including incorporating proper values with respect to history and culture through the application of LLMs, it is essential for teachers to apply technology in a professional manner and make reference to resources from local, national and international online platforms, so as to flexibly adopt teaching strategies and design quality learning activities which align with the curriculum and meet the needs of students.
 
     In this connection, the EDB has been encouraging and supporting schools to explore and adopt diversified and appropriate teaching strategies based on their school contexts and students’ learning needs, and to make good use of technology including LLMs. At the same time, schools are encouraged to nurture students’ information literacy as well as proper attitudes and values towards the application of innovation and technology (I&T) which align with the aims and objectives of the school curriculum. Currently, some schools in Hong Kong are trying to develop school-based LLMs for application in learning and teaching. While the EDB supports school-based innovation, we do not require all schools to develop their own LLMs for subject-based teaching at the present stage. As such, relevant statistics are not available. To keep abreast of the times, we will closely take heed of the trends in technological development and application, strengthen the professional development of teachers, and review the application of LLMs in a timely manner.

     To promote digital transformation in education, we have allocated $500 million under the Quality Education Fund for the implementation of the e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme to develop e-learning ancillary facilities that meet local learning and teaching needs. There are a total of 22 funded projects in which I&T such as LLMs are deployed. The deliverables of the projects are to be released in four batches starting from mid-2025 for the use of publicly-funded schools. In fact, schools may utilise different resources such as the Composite Information Technology Grant in a flexible manner according to their school contexts for procuring different digital teaching tools and platforms to tie in with subject teaching and cater for the diverse learning needs of students in learning.
 
     On resources development, the EDB has been committed to providing schools with quality teaching materials, including learning and teaching resources on different subjects, the Educational MultiMedia and the EDB One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources, covering the Key Learning Areas and cross-disciplinary subjects or areas at kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. The EDB has also been collaborating with the Hong Kong Education City Limited (HKEdCity) to provide one-stop services on e-learning, e-reading and e-assessment including platforms such as the eRead Scheme and the Student Assessment Repository to meet the needs of local schools, and with the provision of the online learning platform and related courses on AI and computational thinking for students, the aim of sharing resources is achieved.
 
     Regarding the smart education platform developed by our country, local teachers and students at present can browse around for free without the need to register. However, as the curricula of the two places vary, Hong Kong schools need to make adaptations and relevant technical adjustments when using the platform. The EDB has already liaised with relevant authorities to gain insights into the mode of operation and types of resources provided by the platform. We will also actively study and make reference to the relevant experience of the platform, so as to explore feasible options for the enhancement of local teaching and learning resource platforms to better support learning and teaching. We will continue to strengthen professional teacher training on I&T and AI, optimise the platform of the HKEdCity, make reference to and utilise existing high-quality learning and teaching platforms, LLMs and programmes locally and from our country and overseas, encourage cross-sectoral and cross-school sharing of resources, and explore cost-effective approaches to further support the learning and teaching of digital education in Hong Kong.
 
     For post-secondary education, with the advent of AI, innovative and breakthrough technology in the new era, post-secondary institutions are encouraged to actively explore and experiment in teaching and learning. Amongst others, the University Grants Committee (UGC) launched the $100 million Fund for Innovative Technology-in-Education in 2023 to provide an impetus for universities to harness innovative and breakthrough technologies in transforming pedagogies and enriching student learning experiences. The eight UGC-funded universities are capitalising on the funding to continuously implement around 100 new projects, with the aim to drive transformation in pedagogies, curricula, assessments, and student development; advance digital competency comprehensively; promote technological social responsibilities and academic integrity; and foster academia-industry collaboration and enhance authentic learning experience. The goal is to nurture university students into a digitally competent and technologically responsible new generation under the digital economy. These projects are underway and expected to be completed in 2026.
 
     In addition, through targeted support measures, including the Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education, as well as the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme, we support universities of applied sciences and self-financing post-secondary education institutions to enhance teaching quality by seizing the opportunities arising from technological advancement and make good use of AI.
 
     In response to the rapid development of AI technologies, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) has also established the Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT), which admitted its first cohort of students in the 2024/25 academic year (AY). The VTC is developing AI-enabled interactive learning materials, including introducing educational chatbots to provide students with instant learning feedback to enhance their learning outcomes. The EDB has been supporting post-secondary institutions to introduce appropriate teaching frameworks and new programmes, so as to enhance support for academic staff and students, and meet ever-changing societal needs. In the 2024/25 AY, there are about 10 programmes related to AI offered by the UGC-funded universities. A number of UGC-funded universities have also offered AI-related undergraduate programmes in the 2025-28 triennium in response to the strategic directions set by the Government, for example, “Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence” of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and “Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science” of the University of Hong Kong. 
     In sum, the EDB will continue to encourage schools to use I&T and keep a close watch on the application and development of I&T in this field, strengthen the exchange and collaboration with partners in the Mainland and overseas to facilitate the high-quality development of digitisation of local education.
 
     Thank you, President.
Issued at HKT 16:03

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LCQ19: Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates 
Question:

At present, the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates (IANG) adopt a “2+3+3” year mode of stay. It is learnt that earlier this year, some of those who were admitted to Hong Kong for employment through IANG (e.g. those whose employment contracts were about to expire) were unable to obtain three-year visa renewals smoothly when extending their stay. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: