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The Education and Manpower Bureau will take a progressive approach to full implementation of the Understanding Adolescent Project (Primary) from the 2004/05 school year to further promote a resilience culture in primary schools.

The move builds on the strengths of a pilot project commissioned by the Bureau to the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Breakthrough Limited and the Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong between 2001/02 and 2003/04.

The Principal Inspector (Guidance and Discipline), Mrs Gigi Mansukhani, said today (May 25), "Catering for the developmental needs of students at upper primary levels, the project is aimed to enhance their resilience by equipping them with life skills, promoting positive values and attitudes, and strengthening the student-student, student-teacher, home-school connections."

The pilot project comprised the development of a Screening Mechanism and the Comprehensive Programme. The former involved 5,200 Primary Four students in 54 schools, while the latter more than 7,000 students from 18 primary schools in Tai Po and North District.

"According to the findings of the research of the pilot project conducted by CUHK, participants have generally improved in the areas of anger management, classroom performance and goal setting," Mrs Mansukhani said.

"The pilot project has been well received by parents and teachers. More than 90% of them consider that its target objectives have been achieved. They also note that the participants have become more positive, communicative, co-operative and have shown a better sense of belonging towards families and schools."

In reviewing the pilot project, Mrs Mansukhani said, "Teachers are encouraged when they see significant changes in their students to becoming more cheerful and self-motivated."

The Comprehensive Programme consists of the Universal Programme and the Intensive Programme. The former is a resilience-promoting curriculum for all Primary Four to Six students on life skills like emotion management, social development, problem solving, instilling into them a sense of competence, belonging and optimism.

The Intensive Programme is for those Primary Four to Six students identified with developmental needs and requiring more intensive training. It includes student activities like group day camps, social and voluntary services as well as home-school activities like parent-child camps, teacher and parent workshops, and parent-teaching sharing sessions.

The Understanding Adolescent Project (Primary) will be implemented in 250 primary schools in 2004/05, 375 in 2005/06 and eventually a total of 500 in 2006/07 and thereafter. The Government has set aside $50 million per year for full implementation of the project in the future.

All government and aided schools with two Primary Four classes or more can apply for the Understanding Adolescent Project (Primary) Grant to conduct the Intensive Programme. Successful applicants will receive $78,000 for hiring social workers or other professionals to implement the three-year Intensive Programme for each cohort of Primary Four students. The Bureau will invite applications in June.

A resource package on the project will be distributed to all primary schools next month to assist them in implementing the Universal Programme and developing a resilience culture. The package contains suggested teaching strategies, teaching plans and exemplars.

The Guidance and Discipline Section of the Bureau will continue to provide schools with support and training programmes such as seminars and experience sharing sessions.

Two parallel briefing sessions on the Understanding Adolescent Project (Primary) will be conducted for school representatives at the Auditorium of Shatin Town Hall on Friday (May 28).

Speaking at the briefing session will be Dr Philemon Choi Yuen-wan, Chairman of Commission on Youth, Hong Kong, Professor Joseph Lau of the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK as well as headmasters, teachers and parents of the pilot schools.

Ends/Tuesday, May 25, 2004

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