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     The Mainland Higher Education Expo 2025/26, organised by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Education Bureau (EDB), is being held today and tomorrow (November 30 and December 1) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Expo will provide students aspiring to pursue further studies on the Mainland and their parents with information on the arrangements of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions (Admission Scheme) for the 2025/26 academic year and other related information.
           
     Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Expo today, the Acting Secretary for Education, Dr Sze Chun-fai, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the MoE for always according priority to the nurturing of Hong Kong youths and organising a large delegation comprising representatives of Mainland higher education institutions to visit Hong Kong and participate in the Expo every year. He also encouraged aspiring students to seize the opportunity by applying for their preferred Mainland institutions and programmes through the Admission Scheme, to learn and grow together with Mainland students, contribute to the exchange and co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong, and embrace the unlimited opportunities brought by the development of the country and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area during their studies.

     He said that the Admission Scheme has entered its 14th year and has achieved good results over the past years. Over 47 000 Hong Kong students had applied under the Scheme for studying at Mainland universities since its implementation in the 2012/13 academic year. The number of participating institutions under the Scheme will increase to 145 for the 2025/26 academic year, providing students with more diverse choices. 
                     
     Around 140 Mainland higher education institutions will set up exhibition booths to provide information on aspects such as faculties and subjects, admission criteria and the number of admission places. Representatives from the MoE will also provide on-site briefings on application procedures and admission arrangements for the Admission Scheme.

     The Expo will also feature a number of sharing sessions, including an introduction by representatives of Mainland institutions on the features of various programmes, experience sharing by Hong Kong students who graduated from Mainland institutions, and analyses of career prospects provided by guest speakers. An online platform (www.studymainland.hk) has also been set up for the Expo, where virtual exhibition booths will be set up by all Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme.

     The Expo is open to the public today from 11am to 7pm and tomorrow (Sunday) from 10am to 6pm at Hall 3DE of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Admission is free. The EDB has collaborated with the China Education Exchange (Hong Kong) Centre and the Hok Yau Club to compile the Handbook on the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions. The Handbook, which provides comprehensive information on the Admission Scheme and further studies on the Mainland, including information of all participating institutions, programme choices and selection strategies, as well as sharing from graduates, will be distributed free of charge at the Expo. The electronic version (Chinese version only) will also be available on the EDB’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/admissionscheme).

     In addition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government launched the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme in 2014 to support Hong Kong high school graduates in pursuing undergraduate studies on the Mainland through a means-tested subsidy or a non-means-tested subsidy. The subsidy will be disbursed based on the distance between the locations of the institutions and Hong Kong, which will be grouped into three categories. Details are available on the EDB’s website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/policy-doc/musss/). read more

     The Government today (November 30) announced details of the enhancement of the operation of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events (ACE) Fund and its application arrangements.
      
     Taking into consideration the latest developments in Hong Kong’s arts and culture sector and ecology, as well as various views from different parties, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) has reviewed the operation and funding mode of the Mega ACE Fund and consulted the Mega ACE Committee. The CSTB will enhance the operation of the Mega ACE Fund through the following areas with a view to better and more effectively promoting the development of arts and culture, as well as boosting tourism and the economy:

(i) the assessment criteria will emphasise the requirement for the funded events to cover elements that promote tourism and bring economic benefits, with a view to integrating arts and culture with the socio-economic development to bring a positive impact to Hong Kong’s community as a whole; 

(ii) the Mega ACE Fund will adopt a fixed application cycle, i.e. three rounds of applications each year, with deadlines set on the last working day of April, August, and December each year respectively, and applicants should submit applications at least six months prior to the proposed event date. This not only encourages event organisers to make adequate planning, but also allows the Mega ACE Fund to consider applications received in the same round in one lot. Upon examining the merits of each application, the Mega ACE Fund will identify not more than four projects that deserve support in that round and determine the corresponding funding amount. The target is to support at most 10 projects each year, with a view to utilising limited resources more effectively; 

(iii) matching grant will be introduced to encourage the event organisers to solicit commercial sponsorship to enhance the level of participation of commercial organisations and to follow the over-arching principle of industry building; and 

(iv) the requirements on key performance indicators (KPIs) will be strengthened, including adding KPIs in respect of the integrated development of mega arts and cultural events and tourism to better monitor the effectiveness of events and showcase the impact of the Mega ACE Fund.

     The new mechanism will officially take effect on January 1, 2025, and is applicable to events to be organised on or after July 1, 2025. Applicants should use the new version of the application form (i.e. the “November 2024” version) and submit applications at least six months prior to the proposed event date. For example, if the event is to be organised on July 1, 2025, the application should be submitted on January 1, 2025, at the latest. After the deadline of each round of application, the Mega ACE Committee Secretariat will notify the applicants of the results generally within 14 weeks. The deadline of the first round of applications will be April 30, 2025. The Secretariat will process the applications received between January 1 and April 30, 2025, in one lot.

     For events to be organised between May 1 and June 30, 2025, having considered that event organisers may not be able to submit the applications at least six months prior to the event as required upon the implementation of the new mechanism, the CSTB will make special transitional arrangement, which accepts applications to be submitted at least four months prior to the event as per the existing requirement. However, applicants should use the new version of the application form (i.e. the “November 2024” version), and the Mega ACE Fund will consider the applications concerned under the new mechanism, but the approved applications will not contribute to the target number of the supported projects in the same year. 

     For more information and the application form, please visit www.cstb.gov.hk/en/councils-boards-and-committees/mega-arts-and-cultural-events-committee.html.

     â€‹The CSTB launched the Mega ACE Fund in April 2023. It aims to attract and support international and large-scale arts and cultural events to be held in Hong Kong, with a view to fostering Hong Kong’s development as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The Fund has supported 20 large-scale arts and cultural events so far. read more

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     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, attended the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Conference organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on November 29 (Dubrovnik time). She delivered a presentation on how Hong Kong enhances STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) education with the use of PISA data, promoting Hong Kong’s quality education.
 
     Dr Choi said that the Education Bureau (EDB) has been making reference to Hong Kong students’ science and mathematics performance in PISA to review and enhance the science and mathematics curricula for primary and secondary schools, and plan various support measures to achieve STEAM education for all, for fun and for diversity.
 
     Regarding the subject of Mathematics, the EDB has increased the elements of applications of mathematics in the curriculum through nurturing students’ ability in mathematical reasoning and data literacy. It has also organised a large-scale training programme for all secondary school Mathematics teachers, focusing on the innovative pedagogies and implementation strategies of mathematical modelling education. As regards science education, the EDB is renewing the junior secondary Science curriculum to put greater emphasis on scientific competencies and cross-disciplinary learning to promote integration and application of knowledge and skills across disciplines and foster innovative thinking among students.
 
     Digital education and STEAM education complement each other. In order to integrate AI with science education, the EDB is launching a pilot scheme to encourage schools to adopt AI-assisted teaching in junior secondary Science and support pedagogical innovations. The EDB will also establish the Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Digital Education to provide advice and recommendations on advancing digital education.
 
     Dr Choi thanked the PISA Governing Board, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of Croatia, and the OECD Secretariat for organising the inspiring Conference. She said that, with concerted efforts of all parties, the future generation will be equipped with global perspectives, future-ready skills, and the values and attitudes necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
 
     In addition, Dr Choi visited the University of Dubrovnik and exchanged views with its leadership on promoting the recruitment of international students and enhancing higher education collaboration between Hong Kong and Croatia.
 
     Dr Choi will conclude her visit and return to Hong Kong on November 30 (Dubrovnik time).

        

     Hong Kong Children and Youth Services has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (November 30), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more