*****************************************

Over a thousand teachers from primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens were presented with commendation certificates at the Salute to Teachers 2002 held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre today (September 10).

Co-organised by the Education Department and the Committee on Respect Our Teachers Campaign, the event was a combination of the Commendation Certificate Presentation Ceremony and Teachers' Day Celebration, used to be held in February and September yearly, to promote the awareness of respecting teachers in the community.

With a variety of celebration activities, the Salute to Teachers 2002 was attended by more than 2,000 stakeholders in the education profession.

Officiating at the ceremony, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, said that Teachers' Day was a day to pay tribute to good teachers.

Citing as role models the two teachers who sacrificed their own lives in making their students' escape from a hillfire in Pat Sin Leng a few years ago, Professor Li praised teachers for their commitment.

This incident demonstrated how the teachers had taken meticulous care of their students. While working very hard to facilitate students' healthy development in ordinary school days, they made whole-hearted sacrifice in time of danger, he said.

Professor Li believed that with students, parents and school sponsoring bodies jointly extending admiration and appreciation to good teachers on Teachers' Day, teachers' morale would be boosted and students would, in turn, benefit from their better care and inspiration.

"I will do my very best to relieve the work pressure on teachers. I hope to allow them more time to take good care of every single student and more capacity to adopt innovative teaching methods which can help arouse students' interest in learning and develop their creative potential to the full," he added.

Professor Li invited teachers to express their opinions and join forces with the Government for the betterment of education in Hong Kong.

Under the Seventh Teacher Commendation Scheme, primary and secondary schools as well as kindergartens could each nominate two teachers to receive commendation for their outstanding professional performance. A total of 1,663 teachers were commended this year, with nine of them for the seventh straight year.

Celebrations for the Salute to Teachers 2002 included orchestral performance by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, singing performance by the Hong Kong Principals Chorus, and stage performance by winners of the Hong Kong Schools Speech and Music Festivals.

These were followed by interviews with celebrities and their respectable teachers on the memorable school life that they had gone through in the old days.

They were the President of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, Mr Yeung Yiu-chung, and Legislative Council member, Mr Andrew Wong Wang-fat; the Ex-Chairman of the Outstanding Young Persons' Association, Mr Samuel Yung, and the Principal of Bethel High School, Mr Lim Hang-woi; as well as the Champion of Nan Quan, Asian Games 1998, Ms Ng Siu-ching, and her mother, Ms Li Ming-luen.

Also present at today's event were the Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mrs Fanny Law, the Chairperson of the Education Commission, Dr Rosanna Y M Wong, and the Chairman of the Board of Education, Mr Moses Cheng Mo-chi.

Other guests of honour included the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications, Professor Cheng Kai-ming, the Chairman of the Curriculum Development Council, Professor Wong Yuk-shan, the Director of Education, Mr Lee Hing-fai, the Director of Broadcasting, Mr Chu Pui-hing, and the Chairman of the Committee on Respect Our Teachers Campaign, Professor Tam Man-kwan.

Professor Tam said that celebration activities for the new school year could be divided into two groups with "dynamic" and "static" characteristics respectively.

"The 'dynamic' celebrations are the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival - Respect-Our-Teachers Cup as well as Tree Planting for Teachers and Students. Through choral speaking, students can extend gratitude to their teachers, while greening activities are a symbolic move to appreciate the upbringing of students by teachers."

"The 'static' ones include the Radio Programme on Student-Teacher Relationship, Eighth Teacher Commendation Scheme, Annual Award Presentation Ceremony and Video CD on Respect Our Teachers and Love Our Students," he said.

Professor Tam believed that these activities would provide students and parents with opportunities to extend their respect and appreciation to teachers and strengthen communication and the tie among them.

End/Tuesday, September 10, 2002

NNNN