The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education aims to become a world-class institution for gifted education and provides services to encourage and nurture exceptionally gifted students, academy executive director Dr Stephen Tommis says.

Introducing the new academy's vision and strategic plans at a media briefing today, Dr Tommis said it will also provide support to gifted students' teachers and parents, and other researchers and organisations in Hong Kong.

"If we are to make a real impact on gifted education it is important that we include parents and teachers and share the information and best practices that exist in Hong Kong and around the world," he said.

He said the academy will strive to secure proper learning and development opportunities to enable gifted students to realise their potential, including leadership, creativity and inter-personal skills, and to cater for their social and emotional needs and sense of commitment to the local community.

Consultation centre

The target students are those who consistently perform in the top 2% of their age cohort. The academy will first focus on the 10-18 age group for 10,000-12,000 students between 2008 and 2011, or about 3,500 students each year. It hopes to extend the age range in time.

To facilitate teachers' identification of and support for gifted students, the academy will provide diversified training opportunities in generic areas of gifted education for about 600 teachers each year.

Recognising the key role parents play, particularly in working with schools, the academy will open a consultation centre in October with a helpline to offer them free information and advice.

The academy also has a research division to partner closely with local and overseas universities and to initiate and conduct research to provide evidence-based advice on services for the gifted, effective pedagogy and government policy.