About HKTDA
Background
Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association Limited (HKTDA), formerly known as the "Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association," was established in 1994 and officially became a non-profit charitable organization in 2011.
To strengthen inter-school artistic exchange, enhance the drama network within the education sector, and provide drama education training for primary and secondary school teachers, the Hong Kong Education Department organized a group of teachers passionate about drama art in 1994, forming the Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association. An executive committee composed entirely of teachers was elected, with Mr. Chung King-fai and Principal Mok Yan-lan invited as founding advisors.
At its inception, HKTDA’s development direction was guided by the article "The Direction of Drama in Education" published in 1992 by former Director of Education, Mr. Li Yuet-ting. Drama education was positioned as an integrated art form, permeating various school subjects and teaching activities through the following four approaches:
-
As a teaching aid in formal classroom instruction across subjects to enhance learning effectiveness;
-
In school activities, particularly in humanities and moral education, using drama to increase realism and engagement;
-
In Chinese and English language subjects, integrating drama as both content and a pedagogical tool to promote arts and humanities knowledge;
-
Through extracurricular activities, offering drama programs in non-formal curricula to deepen students’ understanding of drama.
Since its founding, HKTDA has tirelessly promoted drama education in Hong Kong schools across these areas, becoming the only drama arts organization in Hong Kong formed by teachers to advance drama education in the academic sector.
By 2000, to align with curriculum reforms in arts education, HKTDA intensified efforts to integrate drama into formal curricula. Coinciding with the Curriculum Development Institute’s "Seed Project" for drama education, HKTDA submitted a proposal to second two executive committee members (teachers from affiliated schools) to the Institute, which was approved. Subsequently, the Association actively introduced drama art into formal school curricula, with more committee members seconded to the Institute to expand the arts network and provide comprehensive drama education resources: organizing public performances, publishing teaching materials, conducting classroom research, and fostering inter-school collaboration. This demonstrated HKTDA’s pioneering role in Hong Kong’s drama education landscape.
Close Ties with Hong Kong Schools
From its establishment, HKTDA has maintained a strong connection with the development of drama education in Hong Kong schools. In its early years, the former Education Department’s School Activities Section collaborated closely with HKTDA to popularize drama activities in schools and encourage participation in the Hong Kong Schools Drama Festival. HKTDA organized large- and small-scale drama education training to help teachers understand, experience, and integrate drama into school learning activities.
Later, responding to the Education Department’s reforms, HKTDA not only continued supporting school drama activities but also promoted the inclusion of drama in formal curricula, assisting primary and secondary schools in introducing and developing "Drama as a Subject." In the 2001–02 academic year, the Curriculum Development Institute launched its first drama education Seed Project. Through HKTDA’s coordination, Pentecostal Lam Hon Kwong School and Catholic Wisdom Primary School (Afternoon Session) submitted applications, becoming the first Seed Schools, with two teachers seconded to support the project. The following year, the Institute introduced the "Development of Junior Secondary Drama Education" Seed Project. HKTDA facilitated applications from Pentecostal Lam Hon Kwong School, Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School, and Yan Chai Hospital Lim Por Yen Secondary School, with drama teachers seconded to promote junior secondary drama curricula across schools.
After the Seed Project’s launch, HKTDA applied for Quality Education Fund (QEF) support from 2002–03 onward, providing Seed Schools with drama education resources, including curriculum design, resident artists, and teacher training, to establish robust drama education frameworks and junior secondary curricula.
From 2005–06, HKTDA leveraged QEF funding to introduce drama education into upper primary curricula. Over ten primary schools, with HKTDA’s assistance, incorporated drama as a formal arts subject, democratizing drama art and nurturing the next generation’s appreciation for it. By 2007–09, when the Institute launched the "Development of Primary School Drama Art" Seed Project, many Seed Schools had already received HKTDA training, ensuring a solid foundation for drama education and amplifying the project’s impact.
Between 2007 and 2010, to prepare teachers for the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum, the Curriculum Development Institute rolled out training programs and the "Subject Group Partnership Scheme." HKTDA collaborated closely with over ten secondary schools to develop NSS drama modules, integrating drama into Chinese and English subjects through pilot teaching, material development, and evaluations, ultimately disseminating the curricula to schools across Hong Kong.
From the Hong Kong Schools Drama Festival’s proliferation to the introduction of drama curricula and NSS drama modules, HKTDA has worked hand-in-hand with schools. The Association’s 1994 founding aimed to effectively popularize school drama education, enrich practical experience, and meet schools’ developmental needs—broadening their artistic horizons in drama.