Secretary for Education & Manpower Prof Arthur Li will lead a Hong Kong delegation to Beijing to participate in the 2005 Annual Conference of the Education Forum for Asia from October 13 to 16.

This is the second conference co-organised by the Boao Forum for Asia, the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation and the China Scholarship Council.

The theme of this year's Conference is "Education Development Strategies for Asian Countries in the New Century". The delegation will take part in the programme on October 14 and 15, during which Prof Li will speak on the Hong Kong experience.

The forum is a platform to address issues facing the development of education in Asia and to promote international cooperation in education.

Prof Li said Hong Kong is playing an increasingly important role in the provision of education services for the region. It is therefore a useful and timely opportunity for Hong Kong to share experiences with others.

Delegation to meet education minister

Members of the delegation include heads or deputy heads of all the eight University Grants Committee-funded institutions. They also look forward to networking with their counterparts.

The delegation will call on the Minister of Education Zhou Ji on October 15 to exchange views on education cooperation.