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Learning is not only confined to classrooms and textbooks, but is also a process of personal experience, the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore, Mr Fong Ngai, said today (July 26).
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the Singapore-Hong Kong Exchange Programme, Mr Fong said the programme, which provides invaluable opportunities for our students to learn through interacting with people of diverse cultural backgrounds, is a great example of what we should wish to achieve.
Mr Fong said Singapore and Hong Kong are benchmarks for each other in the pursuit of excellence.
He said, "The two economies are similar in many ways, and we share the same praise for having a deep talent pool. With both places limited by a lack of natural resources, the people are certainly the greatest assets of Singapore and Hong Kong."
Mr Fong pointed out that the eagerness to learn, the curiosity to explore and the readiness to meet people from different backgrounds and cultures are precious attributes that are called for in an era of globalisation.
In the context of Hong Kong, under our New Senior Secondary curriculum implemented since 2009, Hong Kong aspires to nurture students to become balanced individuals with a broad knowledge base and a capacity for lifelong learning, ready to face the challenges of a rapidly changing world, he added.
The Singapore-Hong Kong Exchange Programme was implemented in 2000 and has drawn a total of more than 1 000 students from Singapore and Hong Kong over the years. The programme aims at benefiting both teachers and students by promoting educational and cultural exchanges between participating schools.
This year, six secondary schools from Singapore and nine secondary schools from Hong Kong took part in the programme. Sixty Hong Kong students stayed with host families and attended a mix of cultural and academic programmes at the participating schools in Singapore. Accompanying Hong Kong teachers were attached to the schools for sharing of teaching experiences. Students from the participating schools in Singapore will make a similar visit to Hong Kong in November.
Ends/Friday, July 26, 2013
Issued at HKT 19:21
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