The Education Bureau today encouraged primary and secondary schools to make use of the newly launched Summer Reading Programme to help students enjoy reading during the summer holiday.

The bureau issued a circular memorandum to all primary and secondary schools regarding the Gift Book Pilot Scheme (2020) and free use of the eRead Scheme.

It said as the summer holiday is approaching, it launched the Gift Book Pilot Scheme (2020) to encourage leisure reading anytime and anywhere during the summer holiday, and nurture students' good reading habits.

With the full support from the Hong Kong Publishing Federation, the scheme offers free printed books to all primary and secondary students in the public sector, including special schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools.

The bureau will offer a one-off grant to such schools in accordance with the number of Primary One to Primary Six and Secondary One to Secondary Five students of each school.

Schools are required to select appropriate printed books for their students from the bureau’s designated book lists. The books cover four themes that include Chinese history and culture, healthy living, moral education and STEM education.

Each student will be given one book and the total expenditure involved will be about $60 million.

The bureau hopes that schools can make effective use of the printed books offered by the scheme to set the objectives and directions for reading activities in the next school year, such as arranging sharing sessions to encourage students to exchange their views on the books.

Schools may also organise class-based or level-based book crossing activities to help students develop a sense of gratitude, learn to cherish what they have and nurture their positive values, the bureau added.

In addition, schools can participate in the free use of Hong Kong Education City's eRead Scheme from July 16 to December 31.

The scheme is a school-based e-book subscription service for primary and secondary schools, which provides a wide range of quality Chinese and English e-books in various categories and levels.

Teachers and students of the participating schools have unlimited access to 100 books during the service period.

The reading platform will record the reading data of each student for teachers to better understand students' reading habits so as to devise appropriate strategies for promoting reading.