Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the TWGHs Parents Academy Launching Ceremony this afternoon (September 16):
 
     Let me say a few words in English.
 
     Parents are the very first teachers of their children.  A family begins to influence its children from the moment of their birth.  Children see and hear how their parents talk and go about things, how brothers and sisters get along with each other, and how everyone in the family live their lives and communicate.
 
     To nurture positive values in a child, parents must teach by example.  In this regard, I am most delighted to see the establishment of the Parents Academy by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, with the generous donation of $24.64 million by the HSBC 150th Anniversary Charity Programme.  I confessed earlier that I was party to the decision because I was on the selection committee and in fact I spoke up for the Project. I advocated the Project as it is a good project and I am sure it will turn out to be a meaningful project. Over 70 kindergartens, nursery schools and primary schools in the territory will be covered in the network of the Academy and over 600 000 parents will be benefited from the Programme. The Academy will adopt a new community-based, multi-sectoral and multi-media model to help parents in Hong Kong to develop positive parent-child relationship.
 
     On this score, I would like to thank you again, HSBC and the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals for your partnership, particularly, HSBC for your generous donation which will certainly benefit many many Hong Kong families and beyond. Thank you very much.

Ends/Saturday, September 16, 2017
Issued at HKT 17:32

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