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Letters

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With education designated as a growth engine in Hong Kong’s new development blueprint, the planned Northern Metropolis university town faces a pivotal moment. Artificial intelligence (AI) is dismantling the foundations of traditional learning. Simply expanding science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) programmes or enrolment capacity will not set us apart. If Hong Kong is to become a premier global education hub in the AI era, it must pioneer a fundamental pedagogical transformation.
Higher education must pivot away from theory-heavy knowledge recalls and towards essential human skills development: systems thinking, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and ethical reasoning. These must be cultivated through active, interdisciplinary learning and real-time problem-solving.
Beyond standard exchange programmes, universities must forge strategic partnerships with companies and civic leaders around the world, enabling students to tackle live business and social challenges. Cross-border virtual internships are gaining traction, directly mirroring a modern economy where remote collaboration across time zones is the baseline for 21st century commerce.
We also need a fundamental overhaul of assessment, moving from summative knowledge exams to formative evaluation of transferable skills, a shift now enabled by AI. This also requires unbundling the traditional four-year degree into stackable microcredentials, allowing students to cycle fluidly between full-time employment, remote modules and campus-based sprints over a lifetime.
While legacy institutions can struggle with innovation amid administrative inertia, the Northern Metropolis offers a clean slate to deploy modern pedagogical and operational models.
The San Francisco-based Minerva Project offers a reference point. Free of traditional physical campuses and powered by digital technology, Minerva engages students through active learning, continuous rubric assessments and immersive real-world projects across global cities. Founded in 2011, Minerva recently launched a global university system to scale the cultivation of “critical wisdom” in the AI age. Governments, philanthropists and educational institutions are invited to support and join its network of member institutions.
We do not need bigger and shinier versions of 20th century universities in the Northern Metropolis. To become a true international education hub in the AI era, we must pioneer the future of human intelligence. Hong Kong institutions can pursue two complementary paths: fast-tracking innovation by joining Minerva’s global university system or engineering a home-grown 21st century model tailored to the Asian economy. This is the moment for policymakers, university leaders and philanthropists to unite behind a bold vision and act together.
Rachel Chan, North Point
Give pedestrian countdown timers the green light
The Hong Kong government’s recent announcement of 30 new artificial intelligence-powered projects to enhance public services sounds promising on paper. However, the Transport Department plans to deploy AI-controlled traffic lights at the busy junction of Great George Street and Gloucester Road in Causeway Bay, which officials claim will reduce pedestrian waiting times by up to 20 seconds, raises questions.
What exactly is the algorithm driving these smart lights, and how can pedestrians verify that their waiting times have actually decreased?
A simple, effective solution would be to install pedestrian countdown timers, a tool the Transport Department has resisted for decades. After a brief trial in 2006, the department removed the timers, arguing they did not improve safety. Subsequent small-scale trials in 2018 and 2023 yielded little progress.
Today, Hong Kong pedestrians are still forced to play a guessing game at crossings, rushing before the green light starts flashing – a signal that legally bars them from stepping onto the road. Meanwhile, the use of a red light projected on the ground to remind pedestrians not to cross the road seems to be expanding, but it’s unclear how helpful this is.
Cities like Taipei, Bangkok and New York have long embraced countdown timers. Some show the remaining crossing time, while others display the remaining wait time. It is paradoxical that a world-class city with Hong Kong’s immense traffic density still lacks this basic infrastructure.
Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of effective governance. If the government wants the public to embrace its “smart city” vision, it must prove its policies work. I strongly urge the Transport Department to reconsider its pedantic stance, share the rationale behind the algorithm that controls the traffic light and install pedestrian countdown timers to make our streets truly smart and user-friendly.
Karl Shieu, Mong Kok


Northern Metropolis can offer a clean slate for educational innovation

The story begins …

Hong Kong’s new chapter

Like Shenzhen, the Northern Metropolis is animated by the spirit of experimentation

Northern Metropolis

An aerial view of the Hung Shui Kiu and Ha Tsuen new development area in the Northern Metropolis on September 14.  Part of the land in Hung Shui Kiu will be developed into a university town. Photo: Karma Lo

How Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis should be judged

An aerial view of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Northern Metropolis on September 14. Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong must plan for the population it wants to have

Pedestrians in Central, Hong Kong, on August 15, 2025. Photo: Jelly Tse

14 key takeaways from John Lee’s policy address, Hong Kong’s first 5-year plan

Chief Executive John Lee leaves the Legislative Council chamber after delivering Hong Kong’s first five-year plan and the annual policy address. Photo: Dickson Lee

The Kwu Tung North New Development Area in the Northern Metropolis. Photo: Karma Lo

Light public housing in Kai Tak. Photo: Sam Tsang

The government aims to boost the gold trading market in Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

A commissioner for AI post will be set up. Photo: Getty Images

The government is aiming to boost the city’s birth rate. Photo: Karma Lo

The Victoria Park tennis courts are in line for an upgrade. Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong sets 5-year plan to double innovation spending, boost new industries

A woman watches a live broadcast of Chief Executive John Lee delivering the five-year plan and policy address. Photo: Karma Lo

Improving the livelihoods of Hongkongers is a key focus of the policy address. Photo: Jonathan Wong

A landscape model for a new development area under the Northern Metropolis. Photo: Elson Li

Chief Executive Lee (centre) stands alongside Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki (left) and Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po after delivering the five-year plan and the policy address. Photo: Elson Li

First building in Hong Kong’s university town project to be ready in months

A view of the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen New Development Area of the Northern Metropolis. Photo: Karma Lo

Opinion

Readers discuss the planned education hub near the city’s northern border, and smart traffic management systems


Readers discuss the planned education hub near the city’s northern border, and smart traffic management systems.


Education in Hong Kong

Education

Hong Kong

China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss the planned education hub near the city’s northern border, and smart traffic management systems

Readers discuss the planned education hub near the city’s northern border, and smart traffic management systems