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The Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, together with the Vice-Minister of Education, Ms Wu Qidi, and the Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Li Gang opened this (December 15) morning a conference for more than 260 Chinese teachers from Asia-Pacific regions.
Organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the 14th "A Gala for Gardeners" sees 260 Chinese teachers from the Mainland, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, South-east Asian and overseas regions gathering in Hong Kong for a series of academic exchanges and visit programmes which will last till December 19.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Suen said that the Education Bureau attached great importance to the promotion of national education through three approaches - knowledge, affection and practice.
"To enhance students' knowledge, we have enriched the content of national education in different subjects in both primary and secondary education with an aim of enhancing students' understanding of our motherland and exposure to the recent developments and progress on the Mainland," he said.
"On the aspect of affection, students' sense of belonging to and passion for our motherland will be boosted through personal experiences such as flag-raising activities organised by schools."
Turning to the practice aspect, Mr Suen said it was the bureau's aim to raise students' sense of national identity and commitment to the Mainland through increased exposure, personal experience and reflection.
Noting that it was the common goal for the education sector in Hong Kong to foster national identity among students, Mr Suen expressed his gratitude to education workers and other social organisations for their concerted efforts in promoting national education.
The Vice-Minister of Education, Ms Wu Qidi, said: "The Hong Kong Government has all along adopted a series of measure to help students in inheriting the Chinese heritage and broadening their global perspective.
"In these years, the Hong Kong Government has vigorously implement education and curriculum reform, and attained considerable achievement."
"Education is the foundation for the rise of our nation," she added. "Even though our systems are different, our common mission is to groom more talents for our country and our nation. I hope we could join hands to enhance communication and co-operation, and learn from each other."
The theme of this year's event is to promote historical inheritance and international perspective. Participants will explore ways to enhance the quality of history education and the role played by history in promoting national and civic education. They will also examine how education and curriculum reforms help upgrade qualities of students.
Participating teachers will attend forums and seminars on a wide range of topics, ranging from the development of Hong Kong education, Chinese history education, Chinese culture, civic education to upgrading of pedagogy. During their stay, the teacher will visit primary and secondary schools, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and the Legislative Council.
Local teachers are welcomed to join in the various exchange activities, for interaction and sharing experiences with their counterparts from the Mainland, Taiwan, Macau and overseas.
Ends/Saturday, December 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:00
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