Chief Executive Carrie Lam

This annual gathering for the Yidan Prize presentation, which I attended every year since its inception, is always a gratifying day for education, even though this year the event has to take place virtually due to the pandemic. Viewed from a screen, the ceremony may, at a glance, appear smaller or less significant. But the mission of the Yidan Prize is as ambitious today as when it was founded four years ago by Dr Charles Chen Yidan, and that is "to create a better world through education".

This year, the Yidan Prize's nine judges deliberated online across seven time zones, applying the same four criteria as always: that the nominations demonstrate future-oriented, innovative, transformative and sustainable efforts at the very highest levels of educational excellence. Our 2020 winners certainly reveal that.

Prof Carl Wieman, recipient of the Yidan Prize for Education Research, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics, has transformed the way science is taught, and in so many ways. His Science Education Initiative and interactive, technology-based simulations come to mind. So, too, does his singular passion for STEM education and the research so essential to improving it, to helping us all make better decisions and live better lives.

Lucy Lake and Angeline Murimirwa, the winners of this year's Yidan Prize for Education Development, partner with communities in five African nations to bring the promise of inclusive education to marginalised girls and young women. Through their programme, Campaign for Female Education, they have helped millions of girls get an education. I am pleased to add that they are also empowering young women to take their place in society as economically independent adults.

The pioneering efforts of Lucy Lake, Angeline Murimirwa and Prof Carl Wieman are helping inspire a new generation of educators. And I am confident that their trailblazing innovation and educational leadership will resonate here in Hong Kong. My Government shares the vision of the Yidan Prize. Through education, we hope to nurture young men and women who are socially responsible, who embrace a sense of national identity, an affection for Hong Kong and an international perspective. In short, the leaders we will count on to ensure a flourishing, sustainable and inclusive Hong Kong.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam gave these remarks at the Yidan Prize Awards Presentation Ceremony 2020 held online on December 7.