Expo opens in celebration of 20th anniversary of Quality Education Fund (with photos)
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The following is issued on behalf of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee:
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Quality Education Fund (QEF), the Quality Education Fund Exposition 2018 (Expo), which features a series of events under the theme "Connecting Teaching Professionals, Nurturing Talents for Tomorrow", will be held for two consecutive days from today (May 4).
Officiating at the opening and prize presentation ceremony of the Expo today, one of the celebratory activities for the QEF's 20th anniversary, the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that in the past 20 years, the QEF has not only allocated $4.5 billion to support various projects, but also organised professional development activities, set up quality school networks and shared fruitful results with the education sector with an aim to facilitate professional exchanges and push forward a culture of quality education.
He encouraged schools and teaching professionals to apply for resources from the Fund to realise their ideas, try out new curriculum and pedagogies, and implement student support measures in a more comprehensive manner for learning and teaching as well as for school improvement projects.
Mr Yeung expressed his gratitude to the QEF Steering Committee for its proactive response to the government proposal made earlier to allocate $3 billion for launching school-based curriculum development and student support measures, as well as relevant school improvement works and procurement of supplies. He said he hoped that schools would make use of the resources to start school-based pilot schemes or improvement projects to refine their school-based curriculum and student support measures.
The Chairman of the QEF Steering Committee, Dr Gordon Tsui, said that the QEF has funded around 10,000 projects since its establishment to support schools and organisations to develop and optimise curriculum and organise diverse learning activities so as to enrich students' learning experiences. Moreover, the QEF strives to encourage good practices, organise professional development activities and develop and promote project deliverables. A total of 25 quality thematic networks covering different areas relating to learning and teaching as well as student health and personal growth have also been set up.
Dr Tsui said he hoped that the new funding provision of $3 billion would act as catalyst for promoting quality education, bringing about brand new development for schools and grooming more talents for Hong Kong to rise to the challenges ahead.
The two-day Quality Education Fund Exposition 2018 covers a rich array of activities, including a keynote speech by the Dean of Education of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Professor Alvin Leung, on "21st Century Quality Education". There will also be project booth displays and 29 sharing sessions covering a wide range of topics such as effective learning and teaching, assessment literacy, STEM education, positive development and healthy lifestyles, teacher professional development, information literacy, parent education and catering for learner diversity. Teachers, parents, students and members of the public are welcome to participate in the Expo. For details of activities, please visit qef.org.hk/20th_Anniversary.
In celebration of the Fund's 20th anniversary, the e-Memoir Cover Design Competition and Poster Design Competition were held at the end of 2017. The winning designs will be used for the production of the e-Memoir cover and souvenirs. Please visit the QEF website at qef.org.hk for a list of winning entries.
Ends/Friday, May 4, 2018
Issued at HKT 15:38
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