Children and adolescents are our society's most precious and valuable resources. Gifted students in particular represent an important untapped source of human potential that needs to be discovered and developed. Research findings have shown that gifted students often have special educational needs and learning styles, such as the need for high-level stimulating instructional activities, interaction with challenging peers, access to diverse topics, and opportunities for exploratory investigations. However, these needs are not typically addressed in the regular classroom and normal school setting.
The university, with its exceptional human resources and advanced facilities, should play an important role in unfolding the potential of gifted and talented students and meeting their special educational needs. To take up this challenging role, the Program for the Gifted and Talented (PGT) was set up in 1995 to promote quality education for local gifted and talented students through specially designed out-of-school programs and services. PGT also has a research component which aims to conduct scientific research to understand the needs of gifted students and develop curriculum resources best suited to their needs. The role of research is highly emphasized as research findings can advance our knowledge and inform practice on the areas of gifted education and talent development.