Jockey Club supports project to boost financial education for primary school students

Developing financial literacy at an early age can help future generations navigate an increasingly complex financial landscape. To provide financial education for primary school students, The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Charities Trust has created and funded The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme with an approved donation of over HK$119 million.

Over 110 guests, including representatives from the programme’s partners, school principals and teachers, attended The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme launch ceremony.

The programme was officially launched today (20 November). Officiating at the launch ceremony were HKSAR Government Under Secretary for Education Jeff Sze; the Club’s Executive Director of Charities and Community, Dr Gabriel Leung; President and Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at The Education University of Hong Kong, Professor John Lee; Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at The University of Chicago, Professor Lee Ka-yee; Solomon Learning Group Chairman and Co-founder Antony Leung; CoCoon Foundation Co-Founder Theodore Ma, and Hong Kong Family Welfare Society Chief Executive Kitty Chau. Over 110 guests, including representatives from the programme’s partners, school principals and teachers, attended the event.

Jeff Sze, HKSAR Government Under Secretary for Education (centre); Dr Gabriel Leung, the Club’s Executive Director of Charities and Community (3rd left), Professor John Lee, President and Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at The Education University of Hong Kong (3rd right); Professor Lee Ka-yee, Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at The University of Chicago (2nd left); Antony Leung, Chairman and Co-founder of Solomon Learning Group (2nd right); Theodore Ma, Co-Founder of the CoCoon Foundation (1st left) and Kitty Chau, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society (1st right) officiate at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme launch ceremony.

At the ceremony, Dr Leung welcomed guests to witness the start and the seed of what will become, in time, part of the routine curriculum in Hong Kong. He expressed his gratitude to all partners for beginning this journey with the Club and highlighted that financial education is essential for everyone, particularly for those with limited resources.

Dr Gabriel Leung, the Club’s Executive Director of Charities and Community, delivers a speech at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme launch ceremony.

Targeting upper primary pupils, this pioneering programme is built around three key elements designed to create a lasting impact on students, teachers and parents:

1. Empowerment through financial education: An age-appropriate and culturally relevant curriculum for upper primary students, developed with reference to research findings from the University of Chicago Financial Education Initiative and the Hong Kong Financial Competency Framework, which was developed by the Investor and Financial Education Council. This curriculum is designed to equip students with core financial capabilities and encourage financially responsible behaviour.

2. Collaborative and holistic approach: In alliance with the University of Chicago Financial Education Initiative and local partners, the programme adopts a holistic approach to engage students, teachers and parents. It aims to enhance teachers’ skills and empower them to design impactful financial education lessons. Parents will also receive expert advice and practical strategies to model sound financial habits for their children.

3. A unique response to educational needs: The programme is designed to be integrated into the regular school day. It enhances existing financial education by providing young students with practical financial knowledge, skills and understanding. Unique features include inter-and intra-school competitions, parent workshops and public talks.

Co-created by The Education University of Hong Kong, The University of Chicago, the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society, CoCoon Foundation and Solomon Learning Group, the programme is expected to benefit some 17,800 students and train 240 teachers from 70 primary schools. In addition, it aims to engage 1,500 parents through parent-child workshops and talks. For more information on The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme, please visit www.hkjcfep.com.

The officiating guests and representatives from the programme’s partners attended The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme launch ceremony.

The Club’s support for The Hong Kong Jockey Club Financial Education Programme, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for the community.

In the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, artificial intelligence (AI) was highlighted as a core industry to drive Hong Kong’s future development. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has committed over HK$255 million in funding through its Charities Trust to co-create the JC GoAI project with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The project aims to provide systematic, multi‑faceted support for AI education across upper primary and junior secondary schools and equip students with essential AI literacy skills.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

A launch ceremony for the project was held at Ying Wa College in Cheung Sha Wan today(12 March). Officiating guests included HKSAR Government Secretary for Education Dr Christine Choi and Club Steward Dr Henry Chan.

HKSAR Government Secretary for Education Dr Christine Choi (right) and Club Steward Dr Henry Chan (left) officiate at the JC GoAI project launch ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward Dr Henry Chan emphasised that the Club is committed to promoting education innovation. He noted the Club has supported the teaching of computational thinking in primary schools since 2016 and subsequently introduced AI education into the junior secondary school curriculum. Related teaching materials have been adopted by the Education Bureau and integrated into mainstream education. Building on these achievements, the Club launched the JC GoAI project to integrate AI learning elements across school subjects and to help teachers make effective use of AI in their teaching – thereby promoting high‑quality digital education.

Club Steward Henry Chan delivers a speech at the JC GoAI project launch ceremony.

This 4.5-year JC GoAI initiative aims to help students learn creatively, effectively and responsibly, enabling them to apply technology across disciplines and better prepare them for future workplace demands and social development. The project is expected to reach 300 primary and secondary schools and benefit over 100,000 students, providing professional training for around 2,200 teachers as well as educational activities to support more than 11,000 parents. Key components of the JC GoAI project include:

• AI teaching and learning resources: Co-designed by experts and teachers, they cover AI foundations and AI+ applications across subjects including Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Visual Arts and Humanities, ensuring that resources are both theory‑based and classroom‑relevant.

• Teacher professional development: Features in-person and online workshops, study trips and exchanges to help teachers master AI teaching and learning resources.

• School engagement and teacher community: Establishes a community of practice where teachers share best practices in classrooms, supported by “peer coaches” who lead in-school support.

• Student enrichment activities: Includes city-wide events such as AI challenges, tech industry visits, career talks with AI professionals and study trips to the Chinese Mainland.

• Parent education initiatives: Engages parents through parent-child workshops and seminars to build shared understanding and community support.

• Public education and dissemination: Runs AI education conferences, seminars and publicity events to promote ethical and human-centred use of AI.

For more details about JC GoAI, please visit: https://www.jcgoai.hk/en.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

The Club has long sought to cultivate an inclusive, student-centric and future-ready educational environment. Teaching materials from previous Trust-created and funded projects – namely CoolThink@JC and the Jockey Club AI for the Future Project – have been adopted by the Education Bureau and widely incorporated into Hong Kong primary and secondary schools’ curricula. Looking ahead, the Club will continue to respond to social needs and support educational development in alignment with the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address to promote digital education.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

The Club’s support for the JC GoAI project, like all its charity and community contributions, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.