Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin said today that the Education Bureau will strengthen collaboration with various units to further expand the Mainland study tour programme in the new school year.
 
She made the statement while attending the Mainland study tour of the senior secondary subject of Citizenship & Social Development (CS) thanksgiving session and launch ceremony of the new school year in Guangzhou.
 
The event was jointly organised by the Education Bureau and Guangdong Department of Education.
 
While addressing those gathered at the ceremony, Ms Choi thanked the leaders of the Ministry of Education’s Office of Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Guangdong Department of Education and the education bureaus of various municipalities for their support and care for Hong Kong students, facilitating successful completion of the study tour programme.
 
She noted that in President Xi Jinping’s recent reply letter to Hong Kong secondary students, he especially encouraged students to combine reading and travelling, delve into the history and culture of the country and national affairs, strengthen their affection for and sense of belonging to the country and sharpen their skills and abilities.
 
In the new school year, with the good experience over the past few months, the Education Bureau will strengthen collaboration with various units to further expand the Mainland study tour programme, enrich students' learning experience, deepen the results of the study tours, inspire students' interests, and help them combine reading and travelling to fully implement the spirit of President Xi's letter.
 
With more than 200 representatives from Hong Kong and the Mainland attending today’s event, principals and students from two Hong Kong schools shared what they had gained from the study tours.
 
Representatives from the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau and the Chaozhou Municipal Education Bureau also concluded their experiences in receiving the tours.
 
Ms Choi and Mainland leaders then officiated at the launch ceremony to mark the beginning of the CS Mainland study tours in the new school year.
 
The first CS Mainland study tour began in April, with over 43,000 senior secondary students and more than 5,000 teachers participating so far. 
 
The Mainland study tours in the new school year will include routes outside Guangdong Province with a longer duration. For some itineraries, pilot visits to activity bases for students' comprehensive practice in Guangzhou and Shanghai will be arranged for experiential learning in line with the CS curriculum to further broaden students' horizons.
 
As part of her agenda, Ms Choi visited the headquarters of Tencent Holdings in Shenzhen this morning and explored opportunities for further co-operation.
 
Once she wraps up a tour of the Guangzhou University City tomorrow morning to learn about its planning, operation and management, Ms Choi will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon.