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2015 Policy Address by Chief Executive (8)
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VII. Youth Education and Development

150. Youngsters are the future of our society.  I put forward in my last Policy Address a series of initiatives covering education, employment and whole-person development to nurture the next generation.  These initiatives, including enhancing support for life planning as well as education and career guidance services for secondary students, developing and promoting vocational education and training, and improving access to higher education, are being implemented one by one.  This year, I will press ahead with the following initiatives.

Education

151. Based on the principle of preserving the characteristics of great flexibility and diversity in kindergarten education, the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education has looked further into such issues as whether to offer basic subsidies to all eligible children who are taking half-day places and whether to adopt a mandatory salary scale for teachers.  Moreover, the Committee will study ways to encourage kindergartens to provide more full-day services and consider providing needy families with subsidised whole-day and long whole-day services.  Recommendations will be put forward in mid-2015.  For proper use of public resources, the Committee considers that the provision should only cover the basic expenses directly attributable to children's learning and school operation.

152. The EDB will renew and enrich the curricula and learning activities of Science, Technology and Mathematics, and enhance the training of teachers, thereby allowing primary and secondary students to fully unleash their potential in innovation.

153. The EDB will renew the curriculum content of Chinese History and World History and enrich the learning experience of students.  The training of teachers will also be enhanced.  The objectives are to reinforce students' interest in and understanding of Chinese history and culture and broaden their global outlook.

154. The EDB will progressively increase the graduate teacher ratio in public sector primary schools from the current 50% to 65% in the 2017/18 school year.  This will be implemented in phases in the three years from the 2015/16 school year to attract more talent to join the teaching force of primary education.  The EDB will also, through pilot projects, consolidate more experience and evidence on effective means to strengthen the internal management of public sector schools and reduce administrative work of teachers.

155. The community colleges of University Grants Committee-funded institutions have experienced rapid growth and some have accumulated large surpluses.  We will ask the institutions to critically review their financial position and consider ways to use their surpluses to benefit their students, such as lowering tuition fees and offering scholarships or bursaries for underprivileged students.

Life Planning

156. Over 170 organisations have participated in the Business-School Partnership Programme, which enhances students' understanding of different trades and prepares them for future employment through activities such as workplace orientation and visits, mentorship and career experience programmes.  In the three years from the 2015/16 school year, the EDB will enhance, reinforce and review the programme.

Exchange and Co-operation

157. Our country is developing rapidly.  We plan to provide a subsidy for students to join at least one Mainland exchange programme each in the primary and secondary stages.  We will also launch a pilot scheme to provide financial and professional support for local public sector schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools in a bid to progressively double the number of primary and secondary sister schools in Hong Kong and the Mainland to about 600 pairs within the three years from the 2015/16 school year.  This will help further promote experience sharing between sister schools, enhance teaching and learning effectiveness, and relieve teachers from some of the administrative work.  At the same time, we will explore with Mainland provinces and cities to expand and enhance such exchange and co-operation.  Young people can broaden their horizons through two-way visits, life experience activities, cultural and service collaboration as well as job-seeking experience sharing.

158. The Government will continue to fine-tune the existing exchange and internship programmes for young people and increase funding for these programmes.  We will work in collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers and local voluntary agencies to allow undergraduates to participate in the volunteer services of the United Nations agencies in Southeast Asia.  We will also regularise the services of the Service Corps and strengthen co-operation with Guangdong Province on volunteerism, so that our young people will have more opportunities to help the disadvantaged outside Hong Kong.

Youth Hostels

159. The four youth hostel projects are being progressively implemented.  The Government will seek funding approval as soon as possible to take forward the two projects at Sheung Wan and Tai Po, while advance preparation works are being carried out for two projects at Mong Kok and Jordan.  At the same time, we will actively assist other interested non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with the early launch of more new projects.

Youth Development Fund

160. The Government will set up a $300 million Youth Development Fund to support innovative youth development activities which are not covered by existing schemes, including subsidy in the form of matching funds for NGOs to assist young people in starting their own business.  Details such as eligibility criteria, approval procedures and allocation priority of the fund will be devised after consulting the Commission on Youth.

(To be continued)

Ends/Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:44

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