Since 2016, The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust has built a digital education pathway—starting with computational thinking, extending into AI literacy, and now sharing that experience with schools across borders.
In early 2026, classrooms across Hong Kong began to look different. Instead of simply following steps on a screen, students were using artificial intelligence (AI) tools to explore ideas, test solutions and work on projects that mattered to them. For teachers, AI was becoming part of everyday lessons rather than something distant or purely technical.
This is the latest chapter in a journey that began a decade ago.
From CoolThink@JC to CUHK Jockey Club AI for the Future to JC GoAI
The journey began in 2016 with CoolThink@JC, a pioneering programme that championed computational thinking as a fundamental aspect of education in Hong Kong. Through coding activities and hands-on projects, primary students learned to break problems into smaller steps, identify patterns and design solutions. AI-related applications helped illustrate how these skills could be applied in daily life, transforming “computer class” into a space for creativity and problem-solving.
In 2019, we deepened this pathway by partnering with The Chinese University of Hong Kong to launch the CUHK Jockey Club AI for the Future Project (JC AIF Project). This initiative recognised the importance of building AI literacy among junior secondary students and educators, introducing core AI concepts and ethics in age-appropriate ways.
Together, CoolThink@JC and JC AIF Project laid the groundwork for a generation of young people who could think computationally and understand emerging technologies. Rooted in the belief that technology should open doors rather than create barriers, both programmes sought to provide equitable access to quality digital and AI education, particularly for students who might otherwise be left behind.
In 2023, the Hong Kong Education Bureau mainstreamed the CoolThink@JC curriculum, ensuring all primary school children receive a foundation in computational thinking and coding. What began as a pilot has become part of everyday schooling, setting the stage for the next phase of the journey.
JC GoAI is that next phase. Launched in 2025, the programme builds directly on the foundations of CoolThink@JC and JC AIF Project by bringing AI literacy into regular lessons for upper primary and junior secondary students. It integrates AI learning across multiple subjects and supports teachers in incorporating AI into teaching and learning, aiming to reach 300 primary and secondary schools and benefit more than 100,000 students, 2,200 teachers and around 11,000 parents.
“JC GoAI is just like having a living laboratory in a classroom,” says Ying Wa College Principal Dion Chen. “Students do not just learn about AI. They build it, deploy it, and use it to solve real-world problems.” Lessons often begin with interactive games, puzzles or short videos that spark curiosity. From there, students devise their own projects and experiments or work with classmates to solve problems together.
“What I find most interesting is the way AI visualises knowledge,” says Chan, a student at Diocesan Girls’ School. “It helps me understand concepts more easily and motivates me to learn on my own.”
Across this 10-year journey, the progression is clear: CoolThink@JC builds problem-solving and coding foundations, JC AIF Project introduces AI concepts and ethics, and JC GoAI turns AI into a practical and creative tool in everyday classrooms.
Connecting classrooms in Cambodia
The impact of this homegrown pathway has extended beyond Hong Kong. The CoolThink@JC curriculum has been disseminated in places including the Chinese Mainland, New Zealand, Dubai and the United States, showing how a Hong Kong-developed approach can be adapted across diverse education systems.
In 2025, CoolThink@JC expanded into the Chinese Mainland, leveraging sister-school partnerships to disseminate computational thinking education to primary schools across 25 provincial-level administrative regions. The initiative adopts a collaborative model that pairs Hong Kong primary schools with their Chinese Mainland counterparts, rather than relying on a traditional top-down approach. Beijing Normal University is a key partner, hosting conferences and teacher-training camps to support implementation and knowledge exchange. Practitioner networks also connect teachers across provinces and municipalities, demonstrating how a curriculum developed in Hong Kong can be successfully adapted to diverse contexts.
A year after, students in Cambodia are the latest beneficiaries of CoolThink@JC through a collaboration between the Trust and Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS).
“Promoting inclusive, quality education is among our key priorities,” says Jackson Woo, Trustee of the Trust. “We also recognise that unequal access to technology has the potential to create a digital divide. Addressing these challenges was the inspiration behind CoolThink@JC, which promotes computational thinking in upper primary schools, strengthen students’ digital literacy and inspire their digital creativity.”
MoEYS aims to roll out CoolThink@JC learning materials to 100 public schools between 2025 and 2028, benefiting around 30,000 students and 500 teachers. For Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, the programme has strategic national significance.
“In a global context where the world is moving rapidly toward the era of artificial intelligence, Cambodia must transform its educational model from one centered on rote memorisation to one that cultivates scientific thinking and problem-solving,” he says. “I firmly believe that learning the CoolThink@JC curriculum is perfectly suited for primary school children to boost their creativity, transforming our children’s behaviour from being mere technology consumers into becoming new digital innovators for the future.”
A reimagined classroom
For grade six student Davith from Ekpheap Primary School, CoolThink@JC has already changed how he views technology. “I used to only play games on the phone,” he says. “But now I can create the games by myself. I feel truly proud and genuinely happy.”
In the past, information and communication technology (ICT) classes centred mainly on basic computer literacy. Today, students design project based assignments rooted in Cambodian life, from Khmer language quiz games to short cultural animations. By creating culturally relevant works, they develop computational thinking skills while learning to tackle real life challenges.
“When I started learning, I realised that I think more carefully when solving problems than before,” says Sreyphea, another grade six student. Davith adds, “Through computers and the CoolThink@JC curriculum, we gain knowledge that prepares us to become the future pillars of our nation.”
The role of teachers has evolved alongside these changes. Instead of delivering front-of-class lectures, ICT teachers now act as facilitators—guiding discussions, posing questions and supporting students as they experiment and refine their ideas.
“Previously, our ICT curriculum was limited to basic Word and Excel operations and students could only create simple documents or files,” explains teacher Rachana. “After they started the CoolThink@JC curriculum, they can now create what they want and truly enjoy learning more.”
Her colleague Sokheng has seen changes in classroom dynamics, “Sometimes they even arrive early to class. Students are more expressive, they cooperate and help each other, and they have become more confident.”
Teachers learning side by side
Cross-border collaboration benefits both students and educators. Teachers from Hong Kong are supporting their Cambodian counterparts through online and in-person training, fostering professional exchange and mutual learning.
“Cambodian teachers are really willing to learn,” says Principal Daniel Fung, a CoolThink@JC trainer. “They are very motivated and focused in lessons, and they discuss lessons with one another. As an educator, there is a sense of satisfaction when I see their ‘Eureka!’ moments. I feel I am doing something meaningful.”
These partnerships exemplify Hong Kong’s contribution to advancing digital education across the region—deepening ties with ASEAN and advancing people-to-people connectivity under the Belt and Road initiative.
Computation thinking foundations and AI futures: A shared vision
What is happening in Cambodian classrooms forms part of a broader journey that begins in Hong Kong and now extends across borders. CoolThink@JC and JC AIF Project have laid strong foundations in computational thinking, and AI literacy, while JC GoAI is now extending that pathway in the generative AI era for Hong Kong students. Together, these initiatives support exchanges among teachers and students in the Chinese Mainland, Cambodia and beyond.
Across these different settings, one principle remains constant—a steadfast commitment to education equity. By empowering learners and educators to think critically, use AI responsibly and innovate with confidence, we are advancing digital inclusion and helping create more opportunities for our future generations.
Did you know?
A memorandum of understanding was signed with Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) in 2025 to adopt and adapt the CoolThink@JC curriculum for Cambodian primary schools. Officially launched in mid-2026, the programme has also been commended by Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
“When parents are willing to pause, reflect and give their children space to play while spending time with them, more possibilities for their children's growth will naturally unfold," said Miss Yuen, Project Supervisor of KeySteps@JC Hub (Sham Shui Po).