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To enhance the basic education of disadvantaged adults and encourage them to upgrade their skills and knowledge, the Labour and Welfare Bureau subsidises non-government organisations under an Adult Education Subvention Scheme to run evening education programmes covering the primary and secondary school curriculums.
In the 2011/12 school year, 104 non-government organisations are subvented to run some 800 adult education programmes, offering a variety of short-term courses to around 18,000 students aged 15 and above.
To gain a better understanding of these education services and see how they help students from different backgrounds to upgrade themselves and integrate into society, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-Chung, visited the Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association (HKYWCA) Mong Kok Continuing Education Centre yesterday (September 27).
Mr Cheung learned that the classes comprise students of various ages and backgrounds, including grassroots workers, housewives and new arrivals from the Mainland and Southeast Asia.
He visited several Chinese and English classes covering grades from primary to secondary, and chatted with the some of the students and teachers.
Mr Cheung was glad to hear one of the students, Ms Kwok, say how she had successfully completed the P1 to P6 English courses in the past three years with good results. She had not only progressed to the secondary-level class, but had also been able to secure a clerical job. He also commended the diligent learning of a Thai housewife who had not missed a single lesson of her Chinese class.
"It is not an easy task for these students to attend classes after a whole day at work or home-making. They should be commended for their efforts in not giving up the chance of education," he said.
"The Government will review from time to time the purview of the scheme to meet society's changing needs and development."
During the visit, Mr Cheung was briefed on the work of the association and the centre by the First Vice-President of HKYWCA, Mrs Chan Leung Mo-ching; Chairperson and School Supervisor, Continuing Education Committee, HKYWCA, Dr Patricia Yu; and various executives and staff.
He commended the HKYWCA for providing training and continuing education services to people of all walks of life over the years. He also thanked the staff and teachers of the Continuing Education Centre for their efforts in designing the curriculum and their enthusiasm in helping the students to learn.
Ends/Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:26
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