EDUCATION BUREAU CIRCULAR MEMORANDUM NO. 53/2018
From: Secretary for Education To: Heads of all Primary and Secondary Schools (excluding ESF Schools and International Schools)
Ref.: EDB(CD)PSHE/ADM/150/1/27/(7) Date : 10 July 2018
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Forty Years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme Summary
The purpose of this circular memorandum is to introduce to primary and secondary schools about the captioned project learning award scheme.
Details
2. Since reform and opening-up, our country has made major achievements and assumed a significant role in the international community. Learning elements related to the development of our country’s history, culture, economy and technology are incorporated in the curricula for primary and secondary schools On this basis, to encourage schools to grasp the important moment of the 40th anniversary of our country’s reform and opening-up to help students better understand the development of our country in various aspects as well as Hong Kong’s opportunities ahead, the Education Bureau (EDB) will organise “The Forty Years of Reform and Opening-up Project Learning Award Scheme” (hereafter “the Award Scheme”) in the 2018/19 school year and provide related learning and teaching support measures, including arranging the Mainland exchange programme for students entitled “The Tour of Innovation, Technology and Economic Development in Shenzhen” and providing relevant teacher professional development programmes and learning and teaching resources.
3. The Award Scheme is organised by the EDB with Our Hong Kong Foundation and school councils1 as the supporting organisations. It aims at encouraging primary and secondary school students to conduct project learning by data collection or field trips to
1 Including Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, Hong Kong Association of Heads of Secondary Schools, Association of Principals of Government Secondary Schools, Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, Subsidized Primary Schools Council, Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, Union of Government Primary School Headmasters and Headmistresses, Hong Kong Island School Heads Association, Kowloon Region School Heads Association and New Territories School Heads Association
enhance their understanding of the development of our country and the reform and opening-up, and explore Hong Kong’s role in the process of reform and opening-up and the ways for Hong Kong to grasp the opportunities ahead. The EDB also encourages schools to use the Award Scheme for promoting exchange with their Sister Schools in the Mainland, such as visiting their sister schools in the Mainland in the process of project learning, or even forming a team jointly to enter the Award Scheme, so as to enrich the dimensions of students’ understanding of reform and opening-up.
4. There are three entry levels for the Award Scheme, namely the Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary. For each level, each school could nominate a maximum of three teams to join the Award Scheme (4 students for each team). For brief information of the Award Scheme, please refer to the Annex and its Appendices 1 and 2 (Chinese version only).
Interested schools should complete and return the enclosed application form (Appendix 3 or 4) to the Personal, Social and Humanities Education Section, the EDB by fax (fax no.: 3104 0542) or by email to [email protected] on or before 31 October 2018 (Wednesday). All schools are invited to attend the Launching Ceremony cum Briefing Session of the Award Scheme, which will be conducted in September 2018 to introduce the Award Scheme and relevant support measures. Details will be announced in due course.
5. The EDB will conduct a series of related teacher professional development programmes and provide relevant learning and teaching resources with a view to introducing the latest development of our country in various aspects and supporting teachers’ teaching.
For latest information about the teacher professional development programmes, including the content of the Briefing Session of InnoTech Expo 2018 and Forty Years of Reform & Opening- up Project Learning Award Scheme cum Seminar conducted on 28 June 2018, and related learning and teaching resources, please refer to the website:
http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/kla/pshe/reform_and_opening- up_40years/index.html
6. In support of the Award Scheme, the EDB will arrange the Mainland exchange programme for students entitled “Innovative Technology and Economic Development in Shenzhen” from June to December 2018. Schools are invited to nominate students interested in participating in the Award Scheme to conduct field trip in the Mainland to understand the background and development of the reform and opening-up of our country, and its impact on people’s living, economy, and development of innovative technology. For details, please refer to Appendix 5 (Chinese version only).
7. Besides, Our Hong Kong Foundation will continue to organise “InnoTech Expo”
this year from 23 September to 2 October. Apart from introducing the achievements of China in innovation and technology, the Expo will also host an exhibition on the theme of “40 Years of Reform and Opening-up”. Schools are welcome to encourage students to make good use of it for their project learning. The China Institute of Our Hong Kong Foundation is organising a series of seminars related to the 40 years of reform and opening-up this year under the “China Master Series”. Secondary schools are welcome to nominate their students to join.
The organiser will inform schools of the application procedures before each seminar.
ENQUIRY
8. For enquiries related to the Award Scheme and the EDB’s related support measures, please contact Ms WONG Kam-fung, Grace on 2892 6513; for enquiries related to the InnoTech Expo 2018 and the “China Master Series”, please contact the China Institute on 2603 3089.
Sheridan S L LEE for Secretary for Education cc: Heads of Sections – for information
