Prof. Fung would like to thank colleagues in the School and staff in other units for helping the School to achieve so much in a relatively short period of time. 'Let's work together to reach even greater heights in the future', she said.

As the longest-serving member of the OUHK's School of Education and Languages, no one is better placed than Prof. Yvonne Fung to recount its development. Since joining the School in July 1993 as a Senior Lecturer, the former secondary school biology teacher, College of Education Senior Lecturer and Education Department Senior Inspector has devoted herself to providing more study opportunities for teachers and improving the quality of education in Hong Kong.

Fourteen years on, Prof. Fung -- who became the Dean of the School in August 2007 -- can speak with a sense of achievement about the impressive string of programmes the School's small team has offered to the community, despite often working under very tight production deadlines.

Prof. Fung herself was involved in bringing out the School's first programme -- the Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Primary Education -- in 1994, which was followed by the Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Secondary Education a year later. The Master of Education (MEd) was introduced in 1996 and in 1998 the Doctor of Education -- the OUHK's first doctoral degree programme. Then came the Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates, the Bachelor of Language Studies (English) and, most recently, full-time degree programmes for school leavers. With the success of the Diploma in Early Childhood Education launched in October 2007, the School plans to offer a top-up Bachelor of Education programme for kindergarten teachers. In addition, an online Certificate in English Language is on the drawing board.

Prof. Fung regards the translation and adaptation of three MEd courses from the UK Open University for local use as being memorable: 'We didn't want to see teachers being deterred from learning about the most recent educational discourse and research results because of the language barrier. It was an extremely demanding task, but the first enrolment figures were high, confirming our belief that many teachers and trainers wish to study in Chinese medium'. The School also offers its MEd programme in mainland China, with approximately 1,000 graduates to date.

'We have tried to stay in tune with the changing educational landscape and the needs of society, maintaining close connections with the Education Bureau and people in the field', Prof. Fung emphasized.