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The following is issued on behalf of the Education Commission:
The Chairman of the Education Commission, Dr Moses Cheng, today (January 15) welcomed the education initiatives announced in the Chief Executive's 2014 Policy Address.
"Development of one's potential starts with education. As the Chairman of the Education Commission, I am pleased that the Government continues to invest in education to nurture the next generation so that young people can not only learn successfully but also apply what they have learnt to succeed.
"Also appointed as the Chairman of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education, I share the view of the importance of strengthening support to kindergarten education and am pleased to note the increase in the Pre-primary Education Voucher value in the next two years and the lifting of the fee remission ceiling. I also share the Government's commitment to providing secondary school graduates with flexible and multiple pathways in their further studies, increasing higher education opportunities for young people, and providing subsidy schemes and a new scholarship scheme to help our students articulate to multiple pathways. In tandem, the Government's enhanced support on life planning and career guidance services, including the provision of a recurrent grant to schools, allocation of additional resources to non-governmental organisations to encourage collaboration with schools, and promotion of the Business-School Partnership Programme, will effectively help students plan their academic and career pursuits according to their interests and abilities and develop a fruitful life," Dr Cheng said.
"I am also glad to note that the Government will step up the support to the needy students and those with special needs, including enhanced funding support to help non-Chinese speaking students and students with special educational needs so as to create an inclusive environment in schools.
"I believe that the Education Bureau will be working closely with the stakeholders in implementing the related initiatives. The Education Commission will also contribute its advice for nurturing the next generation for whole-person development and lifelong learning," he added.
Ends/Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:12
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