🏆At the 24-ICIT hosted by the Gratia Christian College: German Scholar awarded Best Paper for Leadership in Education [Rhein-Zeitung (Germany), March 22, 2025]
Gratia Christian College (GCC) proudly hosted the 24th International Conference on ISO and Total Quality Management (24-ICIT) from 6th to 8th February 2025 at Regal Riverside Hotel, Shatin, Hong Kong. The conference, themed “ISO & TQM/AI for Health, Service & Education Excellence”, welcomed experts from 10 countries across the globe to discuss quality innovations and sustainable development.
Among the highlights was the Best Paper Award presented to Academician Roland K. Jahnke of Oberwinter, Germany. His paper titled “Quality Management and Performance Excellence Models: A Key Factor for the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030” impressed the international jury. Jahnke had previously won the same award at the 14th ICIT in 2010 at the University of Scranton, USA.
The award was presented by Prof. Sam Ho, Founder Chair of ICIT and Research Professor of GCC. Prof. Jahnke also visited Gratia Christian College to meet with the President, Prof. H.S. Chui, discussing joint initiatives related to UNESCO’s SDG 4 – Quality Education.
🌍Strengthening Global Impact through Education Leadership
In 2011, Jahnke, in his role as Academician at the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) in the USA, was appointed Chair of the IAQ Quality Education Think Tank (QiETT). Immediately afterward, in 2012, he initiated a joint, multi-year “Quality Education Initiative in Asia-Oceania” with the IAQ QiETT in collaboration with the Asian Network for Quality (ANQ), a regional quality organization in Asia-Oceania, and its national quality organizations, as the crisis in the education sector was particularly evident in South and West Asia. The initiative was successful. Roland Jahnke received the honor of working with UNESCO in Paris as the IAQ representative for the quality educational organizations in Hong Kong, which will be further developed, according to Jahnke.
The UNESCO Global Education Report recently highlighted “Leadership in Education” as a key driver for educational transformation. The report calls for greater investment in school and system leadership, emphasizing the vital role of capable leaders in shaping learning outcomes and institutional excellence. President Chui expressed interest in contributing to this ongoing international dialogue, through his research and recent publications in several international journals.
🔹International Engagement
Jahnke’s presentation at the 24-ICIT has sparked meaningful discussion among high-level German representatives, including Ministers from the Federal Foreign Office, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and the German UNESCO Commission. His work continues to influence policy-level conversations on quality and leadership in education both in Germany, and global. In particular, he is appointed by UNESCO to develop Quality Education (SDG-04) in SE Asia and HK in particular.
