Most parents and educators agree that real-world experiences are crucial for preparing the next generation with the life skills necessary for future success. Building on this, CTF Education Group’s (CTFEG) new education hub in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) integrates schooling, research, and campus living to provide a comprehensive K-12 education experience. This new “Kindervarsity” hub, which includes schools, research centers, and a boarding campus, is designed to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas, skills, and resources within the GBA.
Under the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Greater Bay Area, city governments are promoting collaboration and exchange among their educational institutions. This includes establishing joint laboratories and research centers and sharing and commercializing scientific research outcomes. Spanning 100,000 square meters, the hub features cutting-edge facilities, including a music hall, a 280-seat theater, three competition-grade basketball courts, a 400-meter running track, a football pitch, a 25-meter indoor swimming pool, and an innovation center equipped with versatile maker spaces and studios.
The schools within the education hub offer a diverse range of curricula under the ethos of “complete education”, designed to meet the needs and interests of students from a range of backgrounds. The Kindervarsity model applies the framework of the university to kindergarten teaching and beyond – bringing together a community of learners, educators, researchers, and industry professionals.
Integrated education group CTFEG consists of Hong Kong kindergartens, primary schools, and secondary schools, as well as partner schools in mainland China. With the education hub, group president Jennifer Yu Cheng has begun expanding its footprint into the GBA. “We want to create a groundbreaking learning hub to set the stage to drive K-12 education forward”, she says. “To bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, ensuring that students today have the skills and mindset to become the talent pipeline of tomorrow”.
Benenden Bilingual School Guangzhou was the first to open, welcoming its inaugural pupils in September 2023. Leveraging the hub's resources, the school aims to provide a “future-ready” education. By collaborating with industries on the mainland, interdisciplinary programmes link Steam (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) education and commerce to Chinese culture.
The hub’s Future Education Research Institute supports the school’s programs by collaborating with K-12 educators, university researchers, and companies. By integrating academic and industry expertise, the institute conducts research to create innovative educational frameworks and teaching methods to push the boundaries of K-12 education. It applies these theories by incorporating real-world insights into the curricula and hosting visiting scholars in the hub’s classrooms. Additionally, a school leadership academy focuses on improving the development of school leaders through long-term initiatives designed to foster system-wide leadership across the region.
