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The Deputy Secretary for Education, Mr Chris Wardlaw, today (July 7) officiated at activities under the "Passing the Torch - National Education Activities Series" and presented flags to the delegations of Exchange Activities of the Hong Kong Educational Sector on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, as well as the Hong Kong-Mainland Teachers Exchange Programme.
The Principal Assistant Secretary for Education, Dr Catherine K K Chan and the Principal Education Officer, Mr Benjamin Yung, also presented prizes to winners of the Olympic Education Promotion Plan Design Competition. The competition aims to engage everyone in schools to participate in Olympic education and to instil the Olympic spirit in moral and national education. Students are offered learning experiences in connection with current affairs. The competition has enabled all participating schools to promote the Olympic spirit to students, parents and the public through activities of their own design.
Over 120 teachers and students from 30 schools that won the competition have been invited to join the Exchange Activities of the Hong Kong Educational Sector on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, headed by Dr Catherine K K Chan. The delegation will visit Beijing in mid-August and share their experiences in promoting Olympic education with local teachers and students, as well as watch the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
In view of the importance of teacher education in the promotion of national education, the Education Bureau has launched the Hong Kong-Mainland Teachers Exchange Programme to enable 50 teachers from secondary and primary schools to join a five-day training programme at the Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou at the end of July.
In addition, Mr Wardlaw drew lots during today's ceremony to allocate 2,300 Olympic Equestrian Events tickets to schools which have submitted applications. This is to encourage students to show their support for national and Hong Kong athletes of the Equestrian Events, which will be held in Hong Kong. Results of the draw will be uploaded to the website of the Moral and Civic Education Section (www.edb.gov.hk/cd/mce) shortly.
The Education Bureau is rolling out a series of national education-related activities this year. To raise students' awareness of the Mainland, the bureau has co-organised the 2nd Hong Kong Cup Diplomatic Knowledge Contest with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong and the Better Hong Kong Foundation. A total of 121 schools participated in the contest, which ended on June 28. Thirty winning teachers and students are invited to join exchange activities in Beijing in mid-August. During their stay in the capital, the delegation will visit the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse and meet diplomats of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They will also witness the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
To encourage students to learn and care about the development of the Mainland, the Education Bureau has been organising a series of activities in connection with the 30th anniversary of reform and opening-up on the Mainland, including the "Reform and Opening-up 30 Years Project Learning Award Scheme". Students participating in the award scheme will submit their projects in October. Through preparing the projects, students will learn about the changes in the homeland and people's livelihoods in the past 30 years and the country's development resulting from reform and opening-up. A study tour to the Mainland will be arranged for award scheme finalists to increase their understanding through firsthand experience of the directions and achievements of reform and opening-up.
Other highlights of the bureau's educational activities in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of reform and opening-up on the Mainland included 14 seminars, in which leading experts and academics were invited to deliver talks on the development of various aspects of the country under reform and opening-up.
The winning designs of the Olympic Education Promotion Plan Design Competition will be on display at the Education Resource Centre, West Block, Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, from July 23 to the end of August.
For more information on the Education Bureau's activities and programmes to promote national education, please visit the bureau's website (www.edb.gov.hk).
Ends/Monday, July 7, 2008
Issued at HKT 19:31
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