Tencent Partners with Hong Kong Educators to Chart Digital Education Frontier

The "WeTech for Education" Awards Ceremony, hosted by Tencent, celebrated innovative achievements in AI-powered learning tools today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 300 education representatives gathered to mark the occasion, which featured new AI-powered tools like the Weixin Mini Program Education and "Putonghua 'Funlearning'" platforms. The event, which aims to empower Hong Kong youth by enhancing tech literacy and real-world applications, featured Dr. Jeff Sze, JP, Under Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSAR); Shanks Yang, Vice President of Tencent Cloud and Head of Tencent Education Solutions; and Lam Fung, Executive Director of Hong Kong Education City (EdCity). 

Empowering Education with Technology: Advancing STEAM Development

In his opening remarks, Dr. Sze stated: "The launch of Tencent WeTech Academy in March 2025 has provided students with programming and AI learning opportunities, enhancing their technological literacy while fostering a sense of social responsibility in applying innovation. Today’s Memorandum of Understanding between Hong Kong EdCity and Tencent WeTech Academy marks a transformative step in Hong Kong’s digital education landscape. This synergy between technological innovation and education aims to build a ‘Digital Education Ecosystem,’ aligning with Hong Kong’s vision to become an international innovation hub."

Tencent has been committed to promoting Youth Tech for Good. Over the past six months, Tencent WeTech Academy has successfully hosted two large-scale events, reaching nearly a hundred primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. The initiative leverages Tencent's technological resources through an integrated model of tiered training system with hands-on learning, research and competitive experiences to nurture young talents in Hong Kong.

Ms. Zoe Chou, Dean of Weixin Strategic Research Institute, stated, "To date, over 130,000 Mini Programs created by young people have been launched on the Weixin Mini Program Education Platform, many of which are now used in everyday life. The works from Hong Kong students reflect wisdom, courage, and curiosity about the world. For example, the Mini Program 'Sound by Sound Slowly' assists hearing-impaired individuals in better 'hearing' the world."

Mr. Sun Mengjie, Director of Tencent's Interactive Entertainment Group (IEG) Social Value Exploration Center, said, "By harnessing the power of AI technology and gamified interactions through the 'Putonghua Funlearning' platform and related events, we aim to ignite students’ passion for language learning while pioneering innovative models in edtech."

Strategic Collaboration to Build an EdTech Ecosystem

During the ceremony, Hong Kong EdCity and Tencent WeTech Academy officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding, marking a significant milestone in their collaboration. The two organizations will work closely on teacher training, curriculum development, and the sharing of e-learning resources. This partnership signifies a new phase in the advancement of educational technology in Hong Kong.

Lam Fung, Executive Director of EdCity, stated, "EdCity is honored to collaborate with Tencent WeTech Academy in co-developing innovative learning tools and resources designed to enhance the digital literacy of teachers and students. We firmly believe that technology can revitalize education, fostering more engaging, efficient, and personalized learning experiences. EdCity looks forward to leveraging its role as a 'super-connector' to strengthen the ‘AI education ecosystem’ through this partnership, further supporting Hong Kong and the nation in advancing digital education."

Shanks Yang, Head of Tencent Education Solutions, said, "Guided by our mission of 'using digital technology to unleash education’s creative potential,' Tencent aims to collaborate with Hong Kong’s education community to unlock the creative power of education."

Amid the rapid growth of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC), Tencent Education focuses on three core domains: AIE​ (Artificial Intelligence in Education), AI4E​ (Artificial Intelligence Empowering Education) and AI4S​(Artificial Intelligence Empowering Scientific Research). These initiatives are designed to accelerate the digital transformation of education and cultivate future talent.

Tiered Training System Yields Rich Results: From Inspiration to Application

During the awards ceremony, the conference honored outstanding students from the "Hong Kong-Macao Primary School 'Putonghua Funlearning' Online Challenge" and the "Weixin Mini Program Global Innovation Challenge (Hong Kong Regional)." The winning students showcased their projects, vividly illustrating the "tiered training" pathway, which fosters basic interests and leads to innovative practical applications.

1. "Putonghua Funlearning": Planting Seeds of Language and Culture

In 2025, the Tencent Foundation and the The Academy of Chinese Studies of Our Hong Kong Foundation launched the "Putonghua Funlearning" educational charity project. This initiative aims to provide primary school students in Hong Kong and Macao with interactive, Putonghua-themed activities and learning resources through a unique model that integrates charity, technology, and culture. The project promotes the sharing of educational resources and fosters collaborative talent development across the Greater Bay Area.

The "Putonghua Funlearning" platform employs AI-powered language assessment solutions to deliver real-time feedback, incorporating local contexts, city landmarks, and elements of traditional Chinese culture. Through gamified mechanisms, it enhances the enjoyment of language learning while encouraging continuous improvement. In 2025, the project engaged over 100 primary schools and 23,000 students in Hong Kong and Macao, ultimately selecting 40 "Putonghua Stars" to participate in the "Greater Bay Area Youth Cultural Exchange Camp" in Shenzhen this October, promoting collaborative learning among students from all three regions.

Award-winning student Lin, a senior-primary division pupil from Hong Kong, shared, "What makes this competition unique is the use of advanced technology to help us master Putonghua. The intelligent scoring system and variety of questions not only evaluate our pronunciation accuracy but also our ability to apply Putonghua in everyday life."

2. Weixin Mini Program Global Innovation Challenge: Solving Everyday Problems Through Technology

The Weixin Mini Program Education Platform is a public welfare technology initiative designed for project-based learning in primary and secondary schools. This platform facilitates interdisciplinary teaching, and its AI assistant feature offers a conversational programming experience, encouraging students to translate their real-life observations into practical Mini Program development.

To foster innovative technology talent in Hong Kong, the Weixin Mini Program Education Platform launched the Weixin Mini Program Global Innovation Challenge for the first time in Hong Kong this March, coinciding with the launch of Tencent WeTech Academy. The event was officiated by Mr. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of HKSAR, and marked the introduction of the "100 Schools AI Training Program," which provides 200 free AI courses and accessible development tools. Currently, the program has reached nearly 100 primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. This year's competition saw a threefold increase in the number of participating teams from Hong Kong compared to last year, with over 1,500 entries from seven global regions. Six Hong Kong teams advanced to the global finals and received awards.

This year's competition also featured a regional contest specifically for Hong Kong youth. Liu, a first-place winner in the Hong Kong regional contest’s Feilong Group, presented his project "Community Living Room." He explained, "We found that residents of subdivided flats often have to queue for showers and laundry. This Mini Program allows residents to communicate in a group and check the real-time facility scheduling, effectively easing resource conflicts."

3. Tencent Little Safflower Projects: From Dreams to Tech-Innovative Community Solutions

Tencent WeTech Academy partners with social welfare organizations and schools to foster “Youth Tech for Good” ethos and practical skills.

Dream for Good: Engaging kindergarten and primary school students through technology and moral education activities that cultivate youth’s interest in science and technology, as well as develop a sense of social responsibility.

STEAM for Good: Motivateing secondary school students to leverage STEAM knowledge, technology and tools to solve real world issues and enhance the quality of life for communities.

The exhibition area showcased remarkable student achievements. For instance, primary school students from Yan Chai Hospital and Yan Oi Tong developed the "Good Sleep AI Smart Butterfly Pillow," utilizing AI massage technology to improve elderly sleep quality, and created a multifunctional household robot to help alleviate stress for underprivileged women. The champion project "Go Out with Ease" from Lingnan Secondary School, employed UHF RFID smart tag detection systems to tackle the problem of elderly individuals forgetting items when leaving home, exemplifying students’ ability to address social needs through innovative thinking and the practice of Tech for Good.

Tiered Training System Deepened to Support the Construction of an International Innovation and Technology Hub

The tiered training system of Tencent WeTech Academy comprehensively spans youth development from kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, and university to early career stages. This initiative offers targeted learning, research, and practical opportunities to nurture the youth into the backbone of future technological innovation.

Looking ahead, Tencent WeTech Academy will further expand collaborations with academia and industry partners to integrate cutting-edge technology into its talent cultivation ecosystem, deepen youth commitment to Tech for Good, and foster forward-thinking innovators. This aims to build an all-encompassing growth environment for local talents and support Hong Kong’s aspiration to become an international innovation and technology hub.