The Second Forum of “Education for the Countryside” Series - Ruralizing Education: Toward a Sustainable Future
Conference/Forum/Meeting
Date
June 14 - 15, 2025 (Sat-Sun)
Venue

Event Introduction
In 1926, the renowned Chinese educator Tao Xingzhi sharply criticized the direction of rural education in China: “China’s rural education has gone down the wrong path! It teaches people to flee the countryside for the cities, to eat without growing grain, to clothe themselves without growing cotton, to build houses without planting trees. It teaches people to envy luxury and disdain agricultural labor.” Unfortunately, nearly a hundred years later, rural education continues to be urban-oriented. It is alienated from the social and economic development of the countryside and runs counter to the trend of revitalization in rural areas. Rural education today faces urgent challenges. It must reorient its relationship with rural society, to better serve the sustainable development of the countryside.
To reverse the urban orientation and promote education to serve rural revitalization, Faculty of Education at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), with the support of the Tin Ka Ping Foundation, launches the series of international forums on “Education for the Countryside”. The series of forums will be organized by HKU Faculty of Education in close collaboration with leading normal universities in mainland China. The Forum series aims to borrow international and domestic research and practices to chart new paths forward for rural education and rural communities.
In 2024, the Forum series was successfully inaugurated in collaboration with Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, Gansu. It called for a fundamental shift in the aims of rural education from social mobility to the cultivation of rural contributors for local development. Over 40 presentations were delivered both online and offline, attracting a nationwide audience of 592,000 via live streaming. For more details, please refer to the link: https://web.edu.hku.hk/news/edu-inaugural-forum-2024.
This year, the Second Forum, themed “Ruralizing Education: Toward a Sustainable Future”, will be co-organized by HKU Faculty of Education and Southwest University in Chongqing. This forum aims to promote transdisciplinary dialogues between rural educational workers and agrarian researchers to explore the answers to the fundamental questions: What should be the future of rural society? What transformations are required in education to bring society closer toward that future? The forum features keynote speeches, panel sessions, and principal talks. Researchers and practitioners in the fields of rural education and rural development worldwide are cordially invited to attend the event.
Forum Program
Click here to view/download the forum program.
Invited Speakers
![]() | Professor ZHU Dequan Dean, Faculty of Education, Southwest University |
![]() | Professor YANG Rui Dean, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong |
![]() | Professor WANG Dan The University of Hong Kong |
![]() | Professor CORBETT Michael Acadia University |
![]() | Professor ROBERTS Philip The University of Canberra |
![]() | Professor HU Yuegao China Agricultural University |
![]() | Professor CHEN Yiyuan China Agricultural University |
![]() | Professor PAN Jiaen Southwest University |
![]() | Professor LIU Jing Tohoku University |
![]() | Professor LIU Shanhuai South China Normal University/Northeast Normal University |
![]() | Professor ZHOU Ye Northwest Normal University |
Invited Organizations
- Dazu Primary School, Sichuan Province
- Tianzige Xinglong Primary School, Guizhou Province
- Fanjia Primary School, Sichuan Province
- Fusong No. 2 Primary School, Jilin Province
- Xinjiang Shanshui Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Center
- China Zigen Rural Education and Development Association
Online Participation
Livestream: https://meeting.tencent.com/l/iba61r6bLq0M
QR Code:
Time: Jun 14 (Sat) 08:30-12:30; 14:00-18:20
Jun 15 (Sun) 08:30-09:50
Language: Mandarin (primarily) and English (partly)
Conference Fees
This forum does not charge a registration fee. However, participants need to bear their transportation expenses to and from Chongqing, as well as accommodation and meal costs during the conference.
Forum Enquiry:
Dr SHI Tangsenyi
Email: [javascript protected email address]