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The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
From now on, in just a click youngsters can learn more about the Legislative Council (LegCo) through interesting animations and online games, while teachers can obtain handy LegCo information to prepare for their lessons from the new and enhanced "Civic Education Corner" on the LegCo website (www.legco.gov.hk/young/english/index_e.php).
The revamped "Civic Education Corner" was officially launched today (November 29) by Mr Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, President of the Legislative Council, after the opening ceremony of this year's LegCo Building Open Day.
"The 'Civic Education Corner' is the first of a series of new initiatives for promoting the Council's public education programmes," said Mr Tsang, adding that "LegCo Members and the Secretariat are dedicated to making every effort to enhance the public's understanding of the work and the functions of the legislature."
Ms Pauline Ng, Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat, pointed out that the "Civic Education Corner" was designed in a lively and interactive way in order to appeal to students and young people to explore the legislature proactively and test how much they know about the Council by playing the four new online games.
Another highlight of the enhanced "Civic Education Corner" is a new section with a wide range of teaching and reference materials specifically designed for teachers.
"These materials have been developed into different themes to meet the needs of the teachers when planning their classroom activities as well as organizing civic education programmes at schools," said Ms Ng.
Managed by the LegCo Secretariat, the "Civic Education Corner" consists of four main themes:
Youth Corner
Provides a pleasant and interesting approach for students and youngsters to get to know LegCo through cartoons, animations and games, such as "Who's who in LegCo" and "Jump Start the Legislative Journey".
Teaching Resources
Offers thematic pages on LegCo to facilitate teachers preparing for their classes. These pages include "Major Issues in LegCo Next Week", "Law Making Process" and "Roly-play Game Kit".
Civic Education Programmes
Provides information about the civic education activities organized by the LegCo Secretariat, such as visit to the LegCo Building and mock Council debate, to encourage students and members of the public to participate more actively in these public education programmes.
LegCo Building
Covers the history of the LegCo Building, a virtual tour, photographs of the LegCo Building and its facilities, and information on the New LegCo Complex.
In addition to the four main themes, the "Civic Education Corner" also features a "What's Hot" section which carries latest information of LegCo civic education activities; and a "FAQ" section which covers five topics with more than 50 most frequently asked questions about LegCo.
Ms Ng called upon users to forward their views and suggestions on the content of the "Civic Education Corner" to the LegCo Secretariat (pi@legco.gov.hk) so that the Secretariat could continue to enhance and enrich the website.
Ends/Saturday, November 29, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:45
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