Hong Kong’s involvement in IEA studies started with the Second International Mathematics Study (SIMS). Preliminary interest for Hong Kong’s participation in SIMS was aroused when a representative of the then Director of Education attended an IEA meeting in Tokyo in January 1978. Subsequently, when Hong Kong resolved to participate in SIMS, it was decided that it would be more appropriate for the erstwhile School of Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) to become the Centre for conducting the Hong Kong component of the study.

Hong Kong officially became a member of IEA in 1979, with the School of Education (superseded by the Faculty of Education in 1984) of HKU serving as the Centre for IEA studies in Hong Kong.  Professor Alan Brimer, Dean of the then School of Education of HKU became the first IEA General Assembly (GA) member representing Hong Kong.  In 1984, the School of Education evolved into a Faculty of Education consisting of two Departments, the Department of Education and the Department of Professional Studies in Education, and Professor Brimer was the first Head of the Department of Education until his retirement in 1987.  

The Headship of the Department of Education was succeeded by Professor John Biggs, who also succeeded Professor Brimer as IEA GA member for Hong Kong. Professor Frederick Leung became Dean of the Faculty of Education of HKU in 1996, and from 1998 he succeeded Professor Biggs as the IEA GA member for Hong Kong until 2001. Between 2002 and 2005, no GA member for Hong Kong attended IEA GA meetings, and Professor Leung became IEA GA member for Hong Kong again in 2006 until 2019 when he was conferred an Honorary Membership by IEA. In 2020, Professor Lin Goodwin succeeded Professor Leung as the IEA GA member for Hong Kong, and Professor Leung took up the role of IEA GA member for Hong Kong again in September 2021 until now.