Education a long-term commitment

November 22, 2018

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung:
We have allocated considerable resources to promote the whole-person development of students. All along, the Education Bureau has been advocating the adoption of diversified learning inside and outside the classroom to boost students' interest in learning, and instil in them positive values and attitudes. To this end, the Policy Address this year announced the launch of a new recurrent Life-wide Learning Grant with an (annual) provision of $900 million. The Grant will support public sector schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme to take forward, on the present foundation, life-wide learning with enhanced efforts through organising more out-of-classroom experiential learning activities in various curriculum areas such as the humanities, STEM education, physical and (aesthetic) development, as well as moral and civic education. 

I share the excitement and exhilaration of the teachers and students of this school over the grand opening of the Sports & Arts Building today. I am confident that building on its strengths and foundation, the school would fully utilise the enhanced facilities and the increased resources from the Government to further promote the whole-person development of students.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung

The vision of the W F Joseph Lee Primary School to develop students to their fullest potential and become responsible and respectable future members of society is consonant with the current-term Government's mission to nurture the future generations into quality citizens who are socially responsible and equipped with a sense of our national identity, a love for Hong Kong and an international perspective.

Government expenditure on education is therefore the most meaningful investment for our future. It has always been the lion's share of recurrent spending of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. In the current financial year, our expenditure on education amounts to approximately $113.7 billion, an increase of 28.4% from $88.5 billion in the previous financial year. This fully reflects the long-term commitment of the Government to education.

To better prepare our next generations for the challenges ahead, we have allocated considerable resources to promote the whole-person development of students. All along, the Education Bureau has been advocating the adoption of diversified learning inside and outside the classroom to boost students' interest in learning, and instil in them positive values and attitudes. To this end, the Policy Address this year announced the launch of a new recurrent Life-wide Learning Grant with an annual provision of $900 million. The grant will support public sector schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme to take forward, on the present foundation, life-wide learning with enhanced efforts through organising more out-of-classroom experiential learning activities in various curriculum areas such as the humanities, STEM education, physical and aesthetic development and moral and civic education.

I share the excitement and exhilaration of the teachers and students of this school over the grand opening of the Sports & Arts Building today. I am confident that building on its strengths and foundation, the school would fully utilise the enhanced facilities and the increased resources from the Government to further promote the whole-person development of students. With the concerted efforts of all the stakeholders, I trust that the school will continue to fulfil its mission of developing students as confident, innovative and resourceful individuals with broad horizons and positive thinking.

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung gave these remarks at the opening ceremony of the Sports & Arts Building at W F Joseph Lee Primary School on November 22.