Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin today officiated at the Guangdong-Hong Kong Sister Kindergarten Exchange Programme signing ceremony and annual exchange activity.

Ms Choi witnessed the signing of the Agreement on the Guangdong-Hong Kong Sister Kindergarten Learning Circle by representatives of kindergartens from the province and the city.

She was joined by Guangdong Department of Education Deputy Director-General Feng Wei and First-level Inspector of the Central People's Government Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Liu Maozhou.

While addressing those gathered at the ceremony, Ms Choi quoted President Xi Jinping as saying that Chinese civilisation is the unique cultural identity of the Chinese nation and the foundation of the contemporary Chinese culture.

Ms Choi noted that President Xi also said that kindergarten education is an important stage of children’s growth and a key period for cultivating their cultural literacy and sense of national identity. He added that such an education helps children understand and appreciate Chinese culture from an early age, build a sense of belonging to and a pride of their country, and enhance their sense of national identity.

A total of 100 Guangdong and Hong Kong kindergartens participated in the event held by the Education Bureau and the Guangdong Department of Education.

Following the signing ceremony, a professional seminar was held to explore the ways to promote Chinese culture to kindergarten students in diversified modes such as music, languages and curriculum.

More than 2,400 kindergarten principals, teachers, academics and experts from Hong Kong and different cities in Guangdong participated in person and online in parallel.

Additionally, Guangdong Department of Education delegates and representatives from the province’s kindergartens visited five local kindergartens in groups this morning to conduct in-depth exchanges on learning and teaching with Hong Kong kindergarten principals and teachers.

The bureau pointed out that it has been running the Guangdong-Hong Kong Sister Kindergarten Exchange Programme with the Guangdong Department of Education since this school year.

Participating kindergartens will form a Guangdong-Hong Kong sister kindergarten learning circle and launch various professional exchange activities to further raise the professionalism of teachers in both places, it added.