About us

The Master of Arts in Chinese Values-Based Leadership Education [MA(CVBLE)] offered by The Education University of Hong Kong is a postgraduate programme centred on Chinese Value and Leadership Education. The programme is concerned not only with “how to lead”, but also with “what values guide leadership” and “how leadership capabilities can be cultivated through education”.

The programme is suitable for educators, administrators and policymakers. It aims to integrate Chinese values with contemporary management and leadership concepts, helping students enhance their Leadership, decision-making and management capabilities in educational settings.

The programme places strong emphasis on the role of values in leadership practice. In addition to exploring how to manage and lead organisations, it encourages students to reflect on leadership and decision-making from the perspectives of integrity, moral responsibility and cultural values. It also examines how leaders can guide teams, respond to challenges and drive development in a constantly changing educational environment. Research on teachers also suggests that values can shape professional identity and teaching practice (Ho, Lee, et al., 2025).

Integrating Chinese Values with Contemporary Educational Leadership 

A distinctive feature of MA(CVBLE) is its integration of Chinese values, moral principles and contemporary educational leadership. The programme is not only concerned with “how to manage”, but also with how a leader’s values influence decision-making, teamwork and organisational development.

In educational settings, many leadership decisions are not merely administrative or technical matters; they also involve value-based judgement. For example, how should leaders treat different students fairly? How can trust be built within a team? How can common direction be identified amid diverse opinions? These questions reflect the importance of values in educational leadership.Research on school governance likewise highlights the importance of trust and shared responsibility (Ho & Chen, 2026). 

The learning focus of the programme can be summarised in the following three areas: 

1. Integrity and Moral Responsibility 

Values are an important foundation of leadership practice. The programme emphasises integrity and moral responsibility and explores how ethical values can be integrated into leadership and decision-making. It also examines how these values can be applied to team and organisational management  to support teamwork and educational development.

2. Chinese Values and Global Perspectives 

The programme aims to deepen students’ understanding of traditional Chinese values and explore how these values can be applied to contemporary educational leadership. At the same time, it places emphasis on global perspectives. By understanding international trends in educational development, students are encouraged to consider how experiences from different regions can relate to Chinese cultural and educational contexts.

This learning process is not simply about understanding education models from different regions. Rather, it helps students develop broader comparative perspectives and intercultural understanding based on an appreciation of Chinese cultural contexts.

3. Strategic Thinking in Times of Change 

Educational environments are constantly changing. Leaders need to possess the ability to analyse, make judgements and set directions. The programme emphasises the development of strategic thinking and decision-making capabilities. It explores how strategic decisions can be formulated and communicated in different educational contexts, how changes in the environment can be addressed, and how future directions can be considered. A study of school principals illustrates how leaders evaluate opportunities before deciding which innovations to pursue (Ho et al., 2026).

In the face of policy changes, technological development, organisational needs and changing student expectations, educational leaders need more than immediate responses. They also need to analyse issues from a long-term perspective, coordinate resources and guide teams towards shared goals. Teachers can also help connect schools with outside partners and resources (Ho, Qian, et al., 2025).

Nurturing Educational Leaders for the Future

MA(CVBLE) aims to cultivate not only management capabilities, but also moral awareness, cultural understanding, global perspectives and strategic thinking. Through the study of Chinese values and contemporary educational leadership, the programme provides students with different perspectives for understanding and reflecting on leadership practice, while exploring how relevant concepts can be applied in real educational and organisational contexts. Research on middle leaders highlights the value of learning through experience and guided reflection (Ho, Bryant, et al., 2025).

In summary, MA(CVBLE) is grounded in Chinese values and connects leadership development with leadership education. It helps students understand how values influence educational decision-making, team collaboration and organisational development. In a constantly changing educational environment, this learning process enables educators to reflect more consciously on their leadership roles and respond to future challenges with a sense of responsibility and direction.