Understanding and Addressing Unconscious Bias in the Education Sector in Hong Kong (to acknowledge the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination)
Unconscious biases are beliefs we have about certain groups that operate without our conscious awareness. Although unconscious bias may seem innocuous, its impacts can be far-reaching, serious and result in systemic discrimination. Join this session to learn how unconscious biases manifest in Hong Kong and importantly, how they affect our education system as well as our teaching and learning. Drawing on the the findings of Hong Kong’s first study to examine the prevalence of unconscious bias locally, Kapai shares her findings on the effectiveness of interventions and shares best practices for checking and addressing unconscious bias to reduce its negative impact in educational settings in Hong Kong. This session is for all those who wish to contribute to positive teaching and learning experiences and/or care about advancing the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) agenda in the education sector and the broader community.
Speaker: Puja Kapai (Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Convenor of the Women’s Studies Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong)
Registration link: https://ust.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6tFVCgdJygtaez4
The event includes 2 parts:
Part I: Sharing from Puja Kapai
Part II: Followed by Panel Discussion
(Moderated by Melissa Megan (Senior Lecturer, Center for Language Education, HKUST)):
- Raymond Ho, Senior Equal Opportunities Officer, Equal Opportunities Commission
- Puja Kapai
- Khalil Mahmoud, Year 2 Student, HKUST School of Business and Management
- Bosco Ng, Founder of WEDO Global
- Shravan Ramaswamy, Recent Graduate, HKUST School of Business and Management
Q&A
About the Speaker:
Puja Kapai is a multi-award-winning researcher, academic and community justice advocate. She is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Convenor of the Women’s Studies Research Centre at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Her expertise lies in international human rights law, minority rights, and intersectional legal studies, focusing on the rights of marginalised communities.
Puja’s work has influenced policy and law reform in Hong Kong on racial equality and gender-based violence. She has presented her work before UN treaty bodies and the UN Forum on Minority Issues. In recognition of her contributions to advancing pluralism, inclusion and equality and the impact of her work inside and outside the classroom, Puja received the International Women of Courage Award 2015, the Faculty of Law’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2016, HKU’s Knowledge Exchange Award 2017, the American Chamber of Commerce’s Professional Woman of the Year Award 2019 and the 2021 Global Pluralism Award.
About members of Panel Discussion:
- Raymond Ho joined the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) as Senior Equal Opportunities Officer in 2014 to establish the dedicated Ethnic Minorities Unit, which is tasked with promoting equal opportunities for non-ethnic Chinese in education, employment and access to services. He is a registered social worker with a Master in Criminology, serving young people and disadvantaged racial groups for over 20 years before his service for the EOC. Among his current major projects are the Racial Diversity & Inclusion Charter for Employers, campaigns on racially inclusive school policy and cultural sensitivity education for service providers.
- Bosco Ng is the Founder of WEDO GLOBAL, an award-winning social enterprise that aims to advocate multicultural education by bridging the cultural gaps, reduce negative perceptions and racial discrimination in order to achieve social inclusion. He was appointed by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) to be the Advisory Committee Member on Racial Equality and Integration to work towards the elimination of racial barriers in Hong Kong. Due to his commitment and dedication to serving the Hong Kong society, he was awarded the Hong Kong Youth Service Award and the Youth Dream Maker Award.