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The Deputy Secretary for Education, Dr Catherine Chan, today (December 11) called on teachers and students to participate actively in upcoming educational activities in commemoration of the 60th National Anniversary so as to enhance their understanding of the motherland and contribute to its future development.
Officiating at the prize presentation ceremony of the "30 years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme" cum launching ceremony of the "60th National Anniversary National Education Activities", Dr Chan said: "2008 is the 30th year of our country's reform and opening-up and next year will mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of our country. It is a golden opportunity for us to reflect on what our country has gone through and its future development.
"I would like to encourage our teachers and students to participate in the series of educational activities for the 60th National Anniversary to gain more knowledge of China's past and explore where our country should be heading", said Dr Chan.
To mark the 60th National Anniversary, the Education Bureau will launch a series of activities in the coming year, which include a designated website and 17 teachers' seminars to be hosted by leading experts and academics on China's latest developments in fields ranging from economics, education and technology to foreign policy.
The first series of seminars were held today and hosted by Dr Thomas Chan of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr Chan shared his views on China's economic achievements and the way forward from the perspective of a scholar. Details of the rest of the series of seminars are at the Annex.
During today's ceremony, renowned academics including Professor Lee Chack-fan, Director of the School of Professional And Continuing Education of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Wong Yuk-shan, Vice-President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Ms Lina Yan Hau-yee, presented prizes to winning teams of the "30 years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme".
The award scheme, launched earlier this year, comprised three categories, namely primary, junior secondary and senior secondary for participation by students under the themes of "The Past and Present of the Homeland", "Feelings and Witnesses of Reform and Opening-up" and "Carrying forward the Achievements of the Past" respectively.
The winning works presented in-depth analysis of important issues from different angles and demonstrated students' self-learning ability and creativity. By participating in the award scheme, students gained valuable experience which enabled them to reflect on their ways of learning, values, care for the country and sense of national identity.
The award scheme attracted participants from 57 primary and 118 secondary schools. Students and teachers of winning teams were invited to join a study tour to Nanjing and Shanghai from December 22 to 26 to gain first-hand experience of China's achievements under reform and opening-up and the future development of the country.
Details of educational activities for the 60th National Anniversary are available at http://resources.edb.gov.hk/mce1/ne60prg/ . For more formation on the "30 years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme", including the winning teams and their works, please visit the webpage (www.edb.gov.hk/ReformOpeningUp).
Ends/Thursday, December 11, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:14
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