Home-school Cooperation

Promotion of home-school cooperation is a vital element in quality education. With the continued efforts of the Committee on Home-School Cooperation set up in 1993 on the recommendation of the Education Commission, the number of Parent-Teacher Associations had increased to about 1 300 in June 2002. During the year, 'The Building of Learning Family Together Campaign' was launched to enhance the concept of the 'family as a learning unit'.

    In June 2001, the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved a commitment of $50 million to strengthen parent education and to encourage parents to participate in educational affairs. By September 2002, about 1 200 applications had been funded. Education programme materials for parents, featuring children's physical, psychological and intellectual development, have been developed and distributed. Training courses for parent education organisers commenced in October.

Professional Bodies' Involvement as Advisers to Schools

The Government supports business involvement in schools to enable students to have an early understanding of the business world. Deloitte & Touche Tohmatsu, one of the leading accounting firms in Hong Kong, initiated 'The Deloitte's School Mentoring Programme' in the 2001–02 school year. In 2002–03, 30 staff members from the firm act as mentors for 30 students from three secondary schools and discuss the students' concerns regularly. 'Adopt-A-School' is another programme organised in 2002–03 by the Young Entrepreneurs Development Council, a non-profit and impartial organisation. Three 'ambassadors' from each of the 20 participating companies work with their partner school in tailoring career talks, entrepreneur workshops and business case studies for students with the aim to introducing entrepreneurship to youngsters at the early stage of career planning and providing students an insight into the business world.