CTF Education Group’s School Leadership Academy Drives Research on School Leadership Talent Pipeline Development

The School Leadership Academy (SLA), supported by the CTF Education Group (CTFEG), has released education research that offers insights into school leadership pathways and strategies for developing future leaders, reinforcing CTFEG’s commitment to “future ready” K-12 education. The new report, “From Middle Leader to Senior Leader/Principal – Future-Focused Succession Planning,” was unveiled at the InnoCentre in Hong Kong before some 50 education, NGO, and industry leaders.

The SLA study highlights the importance of mentorship programmes, targeted leadership training, and fostering a leadership culture to bridge the gap between “middle” and “senior” leadership, among other practical strategies to promote leadership development and enhance the overall capacity of school leadership across the region.

Research for the study was spearheaded by Dr. Arnett Edwards, Founding Director of the SLA, with support from the Childhood Bilingulism Research Centre at the Department of Linguistics and Modern Languages at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, alongside WIT Enterprises Ltd.

Schools participating in the study represent a diverse mix, with half comprising local schools, including Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools and aided primary and secondary schools. The other half includes international schools, spanning from kindergarten to secondary levels. [1]

Speaking at the launch event, Jennifer Yu Cheng, Group President and Deputy Vice Chairwoman of CTFEG, emphasised the importance of school leadership development for the future:               “The challenge K-12 schools face, in Hong Kong, the region, and globally, is to keep up with the whirlwind pace of change, both in curriculum relevance and professional development,” she said. “In particular, we are faced with an experienced school leaders shortage, and this is global, with many schools faced with principal and school leader retirements or transitions in the coming 5 to 10 years, for this, school leadership development has never been more critical.”

Empowering School Leadership for Future Ready Education

The new report on school leadership pathways forms a vital part of CTFEG’s mission to drive innovations in K-12 education that empower the next generation to become future ready.

In March 2024, the Kindervarsity Hub, an education landmark managed by CTFEG in Panyu, Guangzhou, was launched to bring together a community of learners, educators, researchers, and industry professionals to learn, collaborate, and create unique K-12 education experiences for a dynamic future. Applying CTFEG’s pioneering Kindervarsity “university model” framework to K-12 education, the Hub strives to inspire, equip, and prepare students to become the talent pipeline of the future.

In March 2025, CTFEG will launch the Greater Bay Area IGNITE Future Science (GBA IGNITE) initiative to promote science curiosity among primary and secondary students, youth, and educators and deepen their understanding of the GBA and the country’s latest developments in science, technology, and innovation. By collaborating with more than 20 leading universities and over 20 industry partners, GBA IGNITE aims to reach over 10,000 students, youths, and educators in the next two years.

“Effective leadership pipeline development is essential for cultivating the next generation of school leaders, ensuring a robust talent pipeline that directly impacts student achievement,” said Dr. Edwards in conclusion. “Our findings highlight the need for targeted leadership development programmes that empower middle leaders to transition confidently into senior roles.”

The SLA mentorship programme features nine experienced ex-principals and educators—seven from local schools and two from international schools including Ms. Christina Wong – former principal of HKUGA Primary School —to guide and inspire the next generation of future ready school leaders.

For more information or to download the full report, please visit http://bit.ly/4jtGxou.

[1] Page 19, Report: From Middle Leader to Senior Leader/Principal – Future-Focused Succession Planning

Read more media coverage :

Hong Kong Commercial Daily : https://www.hkcd.com.hk/content_app/2025-01/18/content_8677153.html
Ta Kung Wen Wei Group – Dot Dot News : https://www.dotdotnews.com/a/202501/18/AP678b6ea4e4b079cd3fc3d7c5.html

Close

  • Dr. Arnett Edwards, Founding Director of School Leadership Academy (Right one);

    Mrs. Jennifer Yu Cheng, Group President and Deputy Vice Chairwoman of CTFEG (Left one); Prof. Stephen Matthews, Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Co-Director of the Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Left two) and

    Prof. Paul Campbell, Assistant Professor of Educational Administration and Leadership Contexts and Policies of Education Unit (SCAPE), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong (Right two), at the launch event for the new SLA report.

  • Mrs. Jennifer Yu Cheng, Group President and Deputy Vice Chairwoman of CTFEG, said that the School Leadership Academy is dedicated to enhancing the leadership capacities and professional development of aspiring and current school leaders across Asia and beyond.

  • Dr. Arnett Edwards, Founding Director of School Leadership Academy, highlighted the need for targeted leadership development programmes to empower middle leaders to transition confidently into senior roles.

  • Prof. Stephen Matthews, Emeritus Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Co-Director of the Childhood Bilingualism Research Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, shared his insights.

  • Prof. Paul Campbell, Assistant Professor of Educational Administration and Leadership Contexts and Policies of Education Unit (SCAPE), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong emphasised the importance of the new report for educators in Hong Kong.

  • Educators and industry players in Hong Kong were excited to explore the findings of the new SLA study.

Back

Thanks
for subscribing to
CTF Education Group!

Stay tuned for educational news, events and updates!
If you have any questions, please email enquiry@ctfeducation.com.
Thanks again!

OK

Thanks
for contacting us!

We will be in touch with you shortly.

OK

Personal Information Collection Statement (“PICS”)

CTF Education Group Limited and its parent, subsidiary, affiliated, associated and/or related companies (collectively, “CTFEG”, “we”, “us” and “our”) value the privacy and confidentiality of your personal data. We pledge to comply with the requirements of all applicable data protection laws and regulations. If you are a parent or guardian, this PICS shall apply to both your own personal data and the personal data of your child provided to us, and in such case the term “your personal data” shall be construed accordingly.

Unless your express consent is required by the applicable laws, by providing your personal data to us, you agree to the terms of this PICS and indicate your consent for CTFEG to collect, retain, disclose, transfer and use your personal data in accordance with this PICS, as amended from time to time. Further, we will only use and transfer your personal data for direct marketing purposes as specified in this PICS. If you are under the age of 18, you should provide a copy of this PICS and other data privacy related documents provided by us to your parent or guardian and obtain their consent before you provide us with your personal data.

  1. What data do we collect and process
    For enquiries, CTFEG collects the following data for the purpose of communication:

    • Name
    • Contact number
    • E-mail address

    If you register for CTFEG’s services, we may obtain additional data such as the following to facilitate the provision of CTFEG ’s services:

    • name, contact information (telephone, fax and mobile number, postal and email addresses);
    • applicant information (such as date of birth and other information on identification documents (such as identity card and passport);
    • video/audio recordings and photographs from which you and/or your child may be identified;
    • academic information;
    • billing information, transaction and credit card information;
    • information about your family, personal interests, experiences with our services, programmes or products; and
    • records of correspondence between you and us.
  2. Purpose and legal basis of collection
    CTFEG collects your data for the purposes of:

    • providing our services, programmes and products to you;
    • processing your application/enrolment of our services, programmes and/or products;
    • responding to your application/enrolment of our services, programmes and/or products;
    • (subject to your consent) offering you our services, programmes and products, including sending you marketing and promotional materials relating to our services, programmes and products;
    • (subject to your consent) conducting joint promotion events, including sending you marketing and promotional materials in relation to education-related products, services and/or businesses of our holding companies, subsidiaries and affiliated organisations and entities operating in education and related services, hospitality, insurance, healthcare services (“Affiliates”);
    • facilitating the enrolment in and managing, and providing services, programmes and products under club membership subscriptions of clubs set up and maintained by CTFEG, which allow members to subscribe to various events, seminars and podcasts organised and/or provided by the CTFEG  and to purchase educational products of the CTFEG;
    • responding to your service requests, enquiries and complaints;
    • conducting surveys, research and analysis for improvement of our services, programmes and products and our websites; and
    • making such disclosures as required by law.

    Please note that it is obligatory for you to provide the personal data that we request. If you do not provide such personal data, we may not be able to provide our services, programmes and products to you.

  3. Recipients of personal data
    We may disclose and/or transfer your personal data to third parties (within or outside Hong Kong) to fulfil the purpose of collection, including without limitation to:

    • members of CTFEG and third parties (within or outside Hong Kong) engaged by us, for or in connection with the purposes specified in paragraph 2 above, including any agent, contractor, or third party service provider who provides administrative, legal, telecommunications, computer, payment, data processing or other services to CTFEG; and
    • any competent court of law, law enforcement agencies and/or regulators and government departments for compliance with applicable laws and regulations and protection of our legal rights.

    We may also disclose and/or transfer your personal data to our Affiliates. If your personal data will be used by our Affiliates for direct marketing purposes, we will obtain your prior consent.

  4. Duration of processing
    CTFEG will retain any personal data collected for the duration required to fulfil the original purpose of collection. For enquires, if there are no follow-up questions or registration pertaining to CTFEG’s services, your personal data will be retained for 3 months. For registration purposes, your personal data will be retained only for so long as is necessary for the fulfilment of the purpose for which the data is or is to be used, and generally speaking, your personal data will be retained for a maximum of 7 years, unless we are under any legal obligation to retain the same for a longer period.
  5. Rights of data subject
    Data subjects are entitled to the following rights:

    • The right of access
    • The right to rectification

    If you wish to exercise any of the above-mentioned rights, please make such requests in writing to Group Marketing and Communication Department at CTF Education Group Limited, 24/F, Capital Centre, 151 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong or email to enquiry@ctfeducation.com. All such requests will be handled promptly in accordance with the requirements of the applicable laws and regulations in relation to personal data protection. CTFEG may charge a reasonable fee for processing your data access request.

  6. Privacy policy
    If you wish to know more about CTFEG’s privacy policies and practices, please visit Privacy Statement.
  7. Use of personal data in direct marketing
    CTFEG intends to use your personal data for direct marketing, including without limitation sending you marketing and promotional materials relating to our services, programmes and products. CTFEG  would also like to provide your personal data to its Affiliates for use in direct marketing, in particular our holding companies, subsidiaries and affiliated organisations and entities operating in education and related services, hospitality, insurance, healthcare services. The types of personal data CTFEG intends to use and/or provide for direct marketing purposes include name, contact number and e-mail address. Please note that CTFEG may not so use or provide your personal data for direct marketing purposes unless CTFEG has received your consent. If you consent to the proposed use and/or provision of personal data by CTFEG in direct marketing as described above, please tick the box(es) below:
I agree to CTFEG using the personal data relating to me and my child (if applicable) for direct marketing purposes in accordance with this PICS.
I agree to CTFEG providing the personal data relating to me and my child (if applicable) to any of the Affiliates for direct marketing purposes in accordance with this PICS.
If there is any inconsistency or conflict between the English and Chinese version of this PICS, the English version shall prevail.
Submit