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The Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, said today (March 1) that promoting national education is a task of paramount significance. The SAR Government will continue to endeavour to nurture in the younger generation a sense of national commitment and identity.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the second anniversary of the "Passing on the Torch" National Education Platform and the "National Education Learning Symposium 2011", Mr Suen said, "According to the latest survey conducted by the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, the majority of the respondents considered that they had a better understanding of our country compared with five years ago. I believe that our efforts have gradually gained results. This is the result of the full co-operation of the education sector and the participation of different community sectors.
"The Education Bureau will continue to work in this direction, using the 'Passing on the Torch' National Education Platform as the foundation to merge the energy and resources of various voluntary organisations. This will help us promote national education in a more strategic and systematic way."
He noted that since its establishment in 2009, the platform had organised many large-scale Mainland exchange programmes. It had also successfully co-ordinated 62 exchange activities organised by voluntary groups. About 50,000 teachers and students had benefited from the platform. They had visited various places and familiarised themselves with the rapid developments on the Mainland, thereby cultivating their love for the motherland.
Mr Suen, on behalf of the Education Bureau (EDB) of the SAR Government, expressed gratitude to the Central People's Government and various community organisations for their support and assistance to the SAR in the promotion of national education. He also thanked the advisors and executive chairmen of the platform for their support in the past two years, leading to a successful implementation and outcome.
Other officiating guests included the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Kenneth Chen; the Deputy of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, Ms Maria Tam; the Director General of the Youth Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Ms Han Shuxia; the Deputy Director General of the Youth Department, Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Li Jiyi; the spokesman of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Tang Rui; the President of Wo Fu Enterprise, Mr Joseph Lee; the Chairman of the Hong Kong-Shanghai Youth Exchange Promotion Association, Mr Andrew Yao; the President of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, Mr Yeung Yiu-chung; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Youth Exchange Promotion United Association, Mr George Lung.
To enable the school sector and the public to better understand the mission and work of the "Passing on the Torch" National Education Platform, the EDB organised the "National Education Learning Symposium 2011" today to share with them the achievements of the exchange programmes in the past two years. The theme of the symposium was "From China to the World".
Ms Maria Tam was the keynote speaker at the symposium, which was attended by about 300 primary and secondary school principals and teachers, as well as parents and students.
Meanwhile, the EDB is staging a roving exhibition on the efforts and achievements of the bureau and voluntary organisations in promoting national education since the establishment of the platform. Details of the exhibition are at the annex.
Ends/Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Issued at HKT 15:47
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