The Education Bureau will review and conclude the implementation of Mainland study tours of the Citizenship & Social Development (CS) subject in a timely manner, and consider including routes to locations beyond Guangdong Province.

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin made the remarks today when addressing a legislator’s question on CS Mainland study tour arrangements.

The Education Bureau announced the latest arrangements for CS Mainland study tours for the 2022-23 school year on February 9, following the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland on February 6.

The arrangements include, firstly, the launch of 12 originally planned tours to Guangdong, and the introduction of 10 more tours from one day to three days to the province, including Greater Bay Area cities.

Ms Choi said owing to the epidemic, around 50,000 students need to complete the respective part of learning in CS Mainland study tours in the remaining four months of this school year.

Hence, the bureau decided to introduce one-day tours after deliberating with the school sector as well as considering the teaching arrangement of schools, deployment of teachers and reception load of the Mainland and Hong Kong.

The education chief emphasised that regardless of the duration, CS Mainland study tours are meaningful learning with clear targets and methods.  

She explained that CS Mainland study tours are closely linked to the curriculum’s themes and integrate with the curriculum whether they span over one, two or three days.

Students will have an understanding of related topics before the tours and teachers will guide them to think and help them set the tours’ learning focus through classroom teaching.

Under teachers’ guidance and through the pre-tour preparations, students can observe and record during the tour and connect, integrate and apply the CS curriculum’s learning focus after the tour.

They will then complete project learning, demonstrate their learning outcomes and self-reflection and deepen the experiences gained from the Mainland study tours.

Ms Choi noted that the bureau will review and conclude the implementation of CS Mainland study tours in a timely manner.

It will also take forward, adjust and optimise the arrangements pragmatically in light of students’ learning needs, school situations, participants’ views and actual operation.

The bureau will proactively consider including routes to locations beyond Guangdong Province with a longer duration to broaden students’ horizons, Ms Choi added.