EditorialHong Kong remains one of Asia’s most competitive higher education systems

Some local universities have been consistently rated as among the world’s best, as reflected in the latest global rankings by British firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). While the city is justifiably proud of its achievements, there is no room for complacency amid growing competition in the education sector worldwide.

It is encouraging that five subjects offered by local institutions are among the top 10 in the world. The University of Hong Kong’s dentistry programme remains the city’s highest-ranked subject globally, holding firm at second place worldwide. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts clinched 10th place in performing arts, while the Education University of Hong Kong made the top 10 in education for the first time. The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s nursing and University of Hong Kong’s education also retained their top 10 status, although dropping slightly from their fifth and third place last year, respectively. These are not marginal achievements; they are world-class benchmarks that demonstrate Hong Kong’s sustained excellence across diverse disciplines.

However, the varsities have also recorded their sharpest declines in three years, with 53 per cent, or 141 of the 266 offerings – including data science and artificial intelligence (AI) – slipping down their respective tables.

The city has doubled down on innovation and AI development in recent years, but it does not mean other disciplines should be sidelined. Some institutions have stressed that arts and humanities subjects would be strengthened as emphases elsewhere shifts towards science and technology, and rightly so.

Technological advancement does not emerge in a vacuum. It rests upon a foundation nurtured by the arts and humanities. Creativity, critical thinking, ethical reasoning and cultural literacy are the bedrock upon which innovation is built. The most transformative technologies of our age were conceived not by scientists alone, but also those who think out of the box and envisage how technological changes can help humans navigate and overcome complex social contexts while adhering to values and morals.

Hong Kong must not lose sight of its strengths as it strives to become a global study and talent hub. While global competition continues to put our education sector to the test, the city proudly remains one of Asia’s most competitive higher education systems, distinguished not by scale but its concentration of excellence. “With just 10 ranked institutions, it delivers one global top-three position, five top-10 entries, 16 top-20 placements, and 85 top-50 appearances – a level of performance many far larger systems struggle to achieve,” QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said.