kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
Hong Kong, Hangzhou sign agreement on education co-operation (with photos)
15.2.2019

The Education Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (February 15) signed an agreement on education exchange and co-operation with the Hangzhou Municipal Education Bureau to strengthen collaboration in education between the two places. In the presence of the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee, Mr Zhang Zhongcan; and the Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Professor Li Lu, the agreement was signed by the Under Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, and the Deputy Secretary of the Hangzhou Municipal Education Bureau, Ms Zheng Limin. The agreement provides a framework for exchanges and co-operation in education, with the aim of fostering professional collaboration between Hangzhou and Hong Kong. It covers initiatives including organising seminars and experience-sharing sessions on school management for teachers and school personnel to enhance the capacity and standard of education professionals in the two places; promoting exchanges of students through visits, competitions and activities amongst sister schools; and promoting exchanges and co-operation in the fields of talent nurturing, scientific research and social services, with a view to jointly raising the standard of teaching and research. At the signing ceremony, Mr Yeung said that Hangzhou has always been a hot spot for exchanges for teachers and students of Hong Kong. The modes of exchanges are diverse, including the pairing up of sister schools and organisation of various visits and experience programmes. At present, the number of sister schools in the two places exceeds 70 pairs and various exchange activities have been conducted. There are also over 50 ongoing collaborative research projects jointly conducted by University Grants Committee-funded universities and Zhejiang academies. ã Mr Yeung said, "Both Hangzhou and Hong Kong have long attached great importance to education and the nurturing of talents. This shared vision has paved the way for the signing of the agreement today." ã He said he believes that the agreement will help boost professional collaboration between Hong Kong and Hangzhou, promote the development of education, and deepen and broaden co-operation between higher education institutions of the two places.
SED to visit Zhuhai
21.1.2019

The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, will pay a duty visit to Zhuhai tomorrow (January 22) to look into the participation of Hong Kong's universities in higher education development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), founded in Zhuhai in 2005, is the first university jointly established by the higher education sectors of the Mainland and Hong Kong. With the opening of its new campus and the establishment of its graduate school in 2017, the institution has entered a new stage. During his visit to UIC, Mr Yeung will tour some of its facilities, including the studios of the Division of Culture and Creativity, the laboratory of the Division of Business and Management, the Food Safety Testing Centre and the Whole Person Education Experiential Learning Base. He will also attend a discussion session and other gatherings for exchanges with the management, teaching staff, students and alumni of the institution. Mr Yeung will return to Hong Kong in the evening on the same day.
Appointments to Quality Education Fund Steering Committee
15.1.2019

The Education Bureau today (January 15) announced the appointment of members to the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee (QEFSC). The following members have been appointed to the QEFSC: * Ms Kelly Chan Yuen-sau * Ms Angela Leung Wai-tuen * Mr Pang Chor-fu * Mr Yeung Sai-man The following members have been re-appointed to the QEFSC: * Dr Eugene Chan Kin-keung * Dr Ho Yuk-fan * Ms Jane Leung Chui-chun * Dr Brian Lo Kin-hang * Miss Bella Lo Sung-yi * Dr Mak Chi-keung * Mr Shum Yiu-kwong The members' appointments take effect from January 16, 2019 for a term of two years. "I am confident that with the appointments of the members, the Quality Education Fund (QEF) will continue with its excellent work in the promotion of quality school education in Hong Kong," said the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung. He also thanked the outgoing members Dr Lam Sek-kong, Ms Shum Siu-fong, Professor Tse Chi-kong and Mrs Bonnie Woo Chan Tak-chi for their contributions to the QEFSC in the past years. The QEF was established in early 1998 with capital of $5 billion to fund community initiatives which promote quality education in Hong Kong. The QEFSC advises on the policies and operation of the QEF and also makes recommendations to the Fund's Trustee on the awards of grants. Since its establishment, the Fund has supported over 10 000 projects with grants totalling around $4.6 billion.
SED on National Anthem Bill
11.1.2019

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after officiating at the opening ceremony of a special classroom and the inauguration of the four houses of Alliance Primary School, Whampoa today (January 11): Reporter: Mr Yeung, once the National Anthem Law is introduced, does that mean it will be compulsory for schools to teach students the national anthem? Will they be penalised for not teaching that? And also, do you think that this will amount to bringing the Mainland authorities or Mainland interference into Hong Kong's education system for bringing this kind of national anthem law into schools? Secretary for Education: I think it is a local legislation, and what the Bill (National Anthem Bill) says is the Secretary for Education has to give directions to the schools so that students could learn the national anthem at school and also they could learn the history and the necessary attitude when they sing the national anthem. So it is just following the existing local system, the local education system, in terms of learning and teaching. So there is no question of any interference from the Mainland. Reporter: And will schools be penalised for not teaching the national anthem? Secretary for Education: Under the law, under the Bill, that part of the Bill does not carry any penalty. But of course, when we make the direction, if there are any problems that the schools face in teaching the national anthem, we will provide professional advice to the schools. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
SED deeply saddened by death of Bishop Michael Yeung
3.1.2019

The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, today (January 3) expressed his profound sadness at the passing of the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, the Most Reverend Michael Yeung. Mr Yeung said that the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is not only a religious body but also an important organisation providing social services in Hong Kong. On the education front, there are some 250 Catholic schools in Hong Kong. Having been led by Bishop Yeung, Catholic schools are determined to carry on the contribution of the Catholic church to education and pass on the core values of truth, justice, love, life and family to young people to prepare them properly for their life and future responsibilities. "Over the years, Bishop Yeung has devoted himself to serving the disadvantaged and made significant contributions in building up a caring community. In his Christmas greetings last month, he also reminded us of being lovingly attentive to the needs of others, especially the most vulnerable." Mr Yeung said he believed that while Bishop Yeung's soul, through the mercy of God, will rest in peace, his spirit of service will continue to lead Catholics and others to take the Hong Kong community forward.
Hong Kong team triumphs at International Olympiad of Metropolises (with photos)
23.12.2020

A team of eight students representing Hong Kong achieved excellent results in the 5th International Olympiad of Metropolises (IOM 2020), winning two gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal, as well as a gold award in the team competition. The IOM is an international competition covering four disciplines: informatics, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, contestants participated within each participating country or city from December 16 to 22 for IOM 2020. There were around 230 contestants from 31 countries or cities participating in the competition. In the informatics competition, Yeung Man-tsung (Pui Ching Middle School) and Hsieh Chong-ho (Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School) won a gold medal and a silver medal respectively. In the mathematics competition, Chu Cheuk-hei (St Paul's Co-educational College) and Lai Wai-lok (St Paul's Co-educational College) also won a gold medal and a silver medal respectively. In the physics competition, Lau Sze-chun (Diocesan Boys' School) and Allan Guo (King George V School) each won a silver medal. In the chemistry competition, Li Yung-chi (Diocesan Boys' School) won a silver medal and Leung Chun-fung (G.T. (Ellen Yeung) College) got a bronze medal. The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, congratulated the Hong Kong team today (December 23) on their outstanding performance. "The Education Bureau (EDB) has always been promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education to align with the worldwide trend. The remarkable results achieved by the Hong Kong team this year demonstrated our students' great potential in STEM," Mr Yeung said. "To strengthen the support measures to assist schools to further promote STEM education, the Curriculum Development Council endorsed the setting up of the Standing Committee on STEM Education in October to oversee the long-term development of STEM education in primary and secondary schools. In addition, a STEM Handbook featuring good examples of school-based STEM education is being developed by the EDB to clarify the expectations at the primary and secondary levels. We hope to help students build a solid foundation for STEM education and nurture talents for Hong Kong in the 21st century, so that they will be able to put their learning to good use and realise their potential," he added. The members of the Hong Kong team had earlier distinguished themselves and attended training in Hong Kong Olympiads of different subjects. The outstanding students were then selected as contestants representing Hong Kong to participate in the IOM this year. The Hong Kong team was fully funded by the EDB to join this competition.
Hong Kong students excel at China Mathematical Olympiad (with photos)
17.12.2020

Talented Hong Kong students continued to excel in national competitions related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). A team of six students representing Hong Kong attained excellent results at the 36th China Mathematical Olympiad (CMO 2020), winning one gold medal, four silver medals and one bronze medal. CMO 2020 was held in Changsha, Hunan Province, from November 22 to 28. There were 456 contestants from 32 provinces and autonomous regions, including Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, participating in the competition. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, Hong Kong contestants attempted the question papers in Hong Kong, in parallel with the Mainland, on November 24 and 25 under online monitoring. In CMO 2020, Timothy Yau (Ying Wa College) won a gold medal. Chan Tsz-hin (Pui Ching Middle School), Chu Cheuk-hei (St Paul's Co-educational College), Chui Tsz-fung (Diocesan Boys' School) and Harris Leung (Diocesan Boys' School) each won a silver medal. The bronze medalist was Hsieh Chong-ho (Tsuen Wan Government Secondary School). The Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, congratulated the Hong Kong team today (December 17) on their outstanding performance. Mr Yeung said, "It is encouraging to see the excellent results of the Hong Kong team in CMO 2020, which demonstrates their remarkable talent in mathematics. I know that the members of the Hong Kong team achieved excellent results in the International Mathematical Olympiad Preliminary Selection Contest - Hong Kong, and joined the mathematics enhancement programmes provided by the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education. The outstanding students in the programmes were then selected as contestants representing Hong Kong to participate in CMO 2020." Mr Yeung added, "The Education Bureau (EDB) has announced its acceptance of the six directional recommendations set out in the review report entitled 'Optimise the curriculum for the future, Foster whole-person development and diverse talents' of the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum. We are working closely with various sectors so as to bring the recommendations to fruition. The review of the implementation of the curriculum and assessments of mathematics and the other three core subjects at the senior secondary level would be speeding up with a view to creating space for students and catering for learner diversity. The promotion of STEM education would also be strengthened."
Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education launched
14.12.2020

The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (December 14) the launch of the $1.26 billion Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education (ESGS) to provide financial support for self-financing post-secondary education institutions to develop and enhance programmes that meet market needs but require high start-up costs. "The ESGS will help institutions better develop their own strengths and niche areas, strengthening strategic co-ordination between institutions. It will also help alleviate the institutions' need to fully recover the set-up costs from tuition fees, thus relieving the financial burden on students," a spokesman for the EDB said. Applications are invited from now until April 23, 2021. Independent non-profit-making education institutions offering full-time locally accredited local self-financing sub-degree or undergraduate (including top-up degree) programmes are eligible to apply. These institutions include: (a) The Open University of Hong Kong; (b) approved post-secondary colleges under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320); and (c) post-secondary institutions registered under the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279). The ESGS covers both the development of new programmes and the enhancement of existing ones. It supports projects of the following nature, with a view to enhancing the teaching and learning in designated academic areas: (a) significant development/enhancement of programme curriculum and pedagogies; (b) recruitment/professional development of faculty members and teaching staff; (c) procurement/upgrade of market-standard equipment/facilities to meet academic and professional requirements; (d) provision of new/improvement to existing discipline-specific campus facilities/infrastructure; and (e) other relevant discipline-specific expenditure areas that are in alignment with the objective of the scheme. The Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education (CSPE) will advise on the comparative merits of the proposals received under the ESGS, and make recommendations to the Secretary for Education. Funding for each proposal will generally be subject to a cap of $42 million. Funding beyond the cap may be provided on a case-by-case basis, subject to the actual utilisation of the funds of the ESGS and the merits of the proposal as advised by the CSPE. "The Government strives to promote the parallel development of the self-financing and publicly funded post-secondary education sectors. The launch of the ESGS implements the recommendation of the Task Force on Review of Self-financing Post-secondary Education that the Government provide dedicated support to self-financing institutions for developing their distinct character and niche areas, and for launching quality programmes which will better respond to our community needs," the spokesman said. Further details of the ESGS can be found at www.cspe.edu.hk/en/esgs.html .
SED on reform of Liberal Studies subject
27.11.2020

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (November 27): Reporter: Could you clarify whether it would be mandatory for students to take a field trip to the Mainland under the new curriculum? And also, if they do not go to the Mainland, will that affect their results in the subject either in schools or in the open examination? Secretary for Education: What we are suggesting is to make the study tour to the Mainland as part of the new Liberal Studies course. I have to leave the details to the Curriculum Development Council to decide on what other requirements there are and what the arrangements are. But in our plan, the part on the study tour to the Mainland would not form part of the DSE (Diploma of Secondary Education) Examination, so it would not be reflected in the results. Reporter: There are quite a lot of differences between the conclusions of the review panel about the revamp of the curriculum and the final decisions of the Education Bureau. For example, they proposed to keep the current grading system instead of just using a "pass or fail" system. Why did the Education Bureau reject their ideas? Is that putting politics above their professionalism? Secretary for Education: I think our current proposal is generally in line with the recommendation of the Task Force (on Review of School Curriculum), especially on the general direction, such as reducing the workload of students in this subject, and defining clearly the subject contents and framework. So, as I said before, it appears that the only major difference may be in how we present the result of the DSE Examination of this particular subject. The Task Force recommended that it would keep the 1 to 5 grading with the 5* and 5**, altogether seven grades. What we recommend now is just whether the students achieve the standard or not, which everyone easily calls "pass-or-fail". But, as I explained, we think that it will further ease students' pressure when facing the examination if we use a "pass or fail" system. For this particular subject, if they do not have very strong pressure from the examination, it may further provide them with opportunities to further develop their analytical skills and also the skills of assessing problems, problem solving skills, and all these types of things which may be more important than an examination. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
EDB holds award presentation ceremony for mascot design competition under Positive Parent Campaign (with photos)
21.11.2020

The award presentation ceremony for the mascot design competition entitled "Mascot Design Challenges: Positive Parents - Hearts United with Children" organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) was held today (November 21) at the Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre. The officiating guest, the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, and the Chairman of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, Mr Eugene Fong, unveiled the mascots together. Representing that positive parents nurture healthy and happy children, "Mommy Light" and "Daddy Light" will take the roles of the mascots for the Positive Parent Campaign. Speaking at the opening of the award presentation ceremony, Mr Yeung said that the EDB initiated the Positive Parent Campaign in June to enhance the public's and parents' understanding of the importance of happy and healthy child development. Being one of the key promotion activities of the campaign, the competition aimed at encouraging participants to unleash their creativity and design an original mascot that can act as the ambassador of the Positive Parent Campaign for promoting positive parent education as well as the proper ways and attitudes of raising children. It is also hoped to enhance a positive mindset among parents in nurturing their children, and gradually change the present culture of excessive competition among some parents, with a view to helping their children learn effectively and grow happily. Among the winning entries, the champion of the open group, "Mommy Light", gives people the feeling of positivity, such as enthusiasm, optimism, warmth and happiness, and brings out the love of parents for their children. "Mommy Light", together with "Daddy Light", will serve as the ambassadors of the Positive Parent Campaign. They will engage parents through different platforms, such as video clips, book fairs and competitions in the future, sharing tips on the proper ways and attitudes of raising children with a view to promoting positive parent education continuously. The competition is divided into kindergarten, primary, secondary and open categories. Over 1 400 entries have been received, with more than 300 entries jointly created by parents and their children, and student entries coming from more than 600 schools. The panel of adjudicators selected the champion, the first runner-up and the second runner-up, as well as five distinguished prize winners and 10 meritorious prize winners for each category as a sign of encouragement. In the award presentation ceremony, the champions of the four categories shared with the audience the creative process of designing the mascots, showing their creativity and supporting the messages promoted through the Positive Parent Campaign with actions. The winning pieces have been uploaded onto the EDB's Smart Parent Net ( www.parent.edu.hk ). Members of the public are welcome to visit the website.