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The Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mrs Fanny Law, today (September 8) led students to pledge to learn to respect and care for others and to develop a healthy lifestyle in the new school year.
Officiating at the launching ceremony of the 2006 Pledge Day on "My Pledge to Act - To Respect and Care, and Lead a Healthy Life" at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School (Hung Hom Bay), Mrs Law talked about "respect and care for others" being the core value of good morality and the key to building a harmonious society.
She said, "'Respect and care for others' is the fundamental element for achieving mental health. At the same time, we also need to maintain a healthy body by adopting a healthy eating habit and lifestyle. With both a strong physique and a gratified soul, a healthy life will follow suit."
Mrs Law wished that through the concerted effort of parents and schools in this event, students' civic awareness would be enhanced and students would learn to lead a healthy lifestyle, to respect and care for others so as to build a loving culture and a harmonious community in Hong Kong.
The Pledge Day on "My Pledge to Act - Live Hygiene Live Health" was first initiated by the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) in September 2003. By making a collective commitment, students pledged to lead a healthy lifestyle and to keep their campus clean. For the past three years, the Pledge Day activities were well-received with active support of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.
On top of the original theme, "health", this year's Pledge Day has seen the addition of two new elements, namely "respect" and "care". It aims to cultivate in students good conduct, respect and care for others, and positive values for serving our society and country.
It is best for parents, schools and the community to work together to help students learn to respect and care for others. Parents, teachers and community leaders can serve as role models for students at homes, at schools and in the community respectively. In addition, they can also provide life-wide learning opportunities for students.
To help participating schools map out their implementation plan, relevant resources are available on EMB's webpage for moral and civic education at http://www.emb.gov.hk/cd/mce. Schools are encouraged to make a pledge through a signing ceremony in their campuses this month.
Ends/Friday, September 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 15:10
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