The Education Bureau today (October 19) invites the 2023/24 round of applications under the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS) of the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund for projects proposed to be launched in the 2024/25 academic year. The application deadline is February 29, 2024.

    The QESS is a major support measure to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector, with the aim of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the sector. It accepts applications under three project categories, namely theme-based projects, open-ended projects and industrial attachment projects.
    
     Applicants in the category of theme-based projects may set their own themes, provided that the projects are conducted in a collaborative manner, i.e. planned and undertaken by more than one eligible institution to foster closer collaboration and synergy among institutions and benefit the sector as widely as possible.

     The applicants in the category of open-ended projects need to submit applications in relation to the relevant areas of the QESS funding. The main areas include:

(1) improving the overall learning experience and language proficiency of students;

(2) developing and improving the teaching methodology and practices, including the development of assessment strategies;

(3) strengthening and improving quality assurance and related measures; and

(4) enhancing student support and career guidance services, including support for non-Chinese speaking students and students with special educational needs.

    As regards the category of industrial attachment projects, applicants can submit proposals within the following areas:

(1) incorporating quality assured work-based learning and assessments in the programme curriculum through close partnership with industries;

(2) sourcing of more industrial attachment opportunities within and/or outside Hong Kong, and/or enhancement of relevant institutional support to students; and

(3) organisation of visits or short-term training/courses conducted within and/or outside Hong Kong for students, which are directly relevant to industrial attachment.

     All non-profit-making education institutions offering full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree or bachelor's degree (including top-up degree) programmes are eligible to apply. Other related bodies such as the federations of these education institutions and quality assurance agencies may also apply. All applications will be considered by the Sub-committee on Support Measures established under the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education.

     Since its launch in 2012, the QESS has approved over 110 projects with a total grant of about $408 million. In the 2022/23 round of applications, seven out of 25 applications were approved with a total earmarked grant of about $22 million. The aims of the approved projects include enhancing students' learning effectiveness and their understanding and practice of inter-professional communications through developing a virtual reality serious game; establishing a digital competency education resource centre for supporting students' learning and establishing an innovative gerontological learning hub with technology-assisted learning tools for improving students' knowledge and skills; and strengthening students' employability and job-readiness skills through various industrial attachment activities such as industry seminars, mentorships, exposure tours, job matching, virtual job tryouts and simulation-based assessments.

     Further details of the QESS, including the scopes of various categories of projects and the application procedures, are available at the Concourse for Self-financing Post-secondary Education (www.cspe.edu.hk/en/qess-project.html).

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt, and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on October 18 to noon today (October 19), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 137 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 9 436 samples of food imported from Japan (including 6 169 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 2 756 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (October 19) that due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty, Mui Wo Swimming Pool in Islands District will be temporarily closed from 4pm today until further notice to ensure the safety of swimmers.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation yesterday (October 18) on supporting cross-border financing by Chinese enterprises and promoting the development of the Hong Kong bond market. 

     The MOU was signed by the Vice Chairman of the NDRC, Mr Cong Liang, and the Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue. Under the MOU, the NDRC and the HKMA agree to strengthen communication and co-operation, and to facilitate the cross-border financing activities of Chinese enterprises by leveraging Hong Kong's unique strengths in financial and professional services. The major areas of co-operation include:
 

• Supporting bond issuance by Chinese enterprises in Hong Kong: To broaden financing channels for Chinese enterprises, the two authorities agree to provide policy facilitation and support to eligible Chinese enterprises to issue bonds in Hong Kong, in compliance with relevant financial market regulations and supervisory requirements in the financial sector.

• Organising joint promotional activities: The two authorities will jointly organise and participate in promotional activities such as workshops, seminars, high-level fora, and more, to enhance the understanding of the relevant policies and requirements regarding Chinese offshore debts among market participants, and encourage them to leverage Hong Kong's platform to participate in the cross-border financing of Chinese entities.

• Promoting diversified development of the Hong Kong bond market: The two authorities will jointly promote the development of Hong Kong's green and sustainable finance market and dim sum bond market; encourage Chinese enterprises to conduct green and sustainable financing activities via Hong Kong's platform; and, leveraging on Hong Kong's edge as an offshore Renminbi (RMB) business hub, seek to expand the size, and enhance the liquidity of the dim sum bond market, as well as broaden the scope of RMB business. The two authorities will also jointly promote innovation in Hong Kong's bond market, and encourage issuers to issue innovative bonds, thereby expanding product variety.

 
     The NDRC and the HKMA also agree to maintain regular communication on the Chinese offshore debt market with a view to promoting the steady and orderly development of cross-border financing activities of Chinese enterprises.

     Mr Yue said, "Hong Kong has been a premier offshore financing platform for Mainland enterprises. The signing of this MOU will further enable Hong Kong to leverage its unique strengths as an international financial centre in support of Mainland enterprises' access to broadened cross-border financing channels. We thank the NDRC for supporting and promoting the diversified development of Hong Kong's bond market, and look forward to collaborating closely with the NDRC to better serve the cross-border financing needs of Mainland enterprises."

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at a media session in Beijing this morning (October 19):
 
Reporter: You mentioned that Hong Kong signed three contracts during this forum related to I&T and even medical aspects, can you tell us more in details? How will these contracts foster co-operation with Belt and Road countries? The second question, about President Xi mentioning the eight points, what will Hong Kong do? What will the Government do to realise the eight points of actions to strengthen the Belt and Road Initiative co-operation? Thank you.

Chief Executive: The three co-operation agreements that were signed during the Belt and Road Forum relates to medical technology co-operation, I&T (innovation and technology) co-operation, and also investment co-operation. The three agreements amount to the value of US$450 million. These three agreements are just examples of areas of co-operation between Hong Kong and enterprises of other countries. In fact, when I made my visits to countries in the Middle East and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), we signed a high number of agreements, as a result of which actually some deals were made, and some actual contracts were signed. And these relate to different areas, such as professional services, architectural services, and also relate to green energy, technology collaboration. I am aware of one contract relating to provision of green energy transportation to one country. I am also aware of a deal being considered for hotel development. There will be a lot of areas which will actually end up in good results, because Hong Kong is very strong on professional services. We have lawyers, architects, accountants, you name them, who are up to international standard, and they are very experienced in providing expert services to support matters such as financing, construction, and green economic development. The opportunities are multifaceted. Also, Hong Kong is very strong, as you know, being an international financial centre. In financial services, raising of capital, listing of companies, and also issuing bonds, particular bonds for green economic development, Hong Kong is very strong. It will be a long list of opportunities and strengths that Hong Kong can offer. Then of course, Hong Kong is very strong as an arts and cultural hub, which will be promoting people-to-people exchange, which is an important area in the Belt and Road Initiative.

     As regards the eight action areas that President Xi has announced, we are completely thrilled and excited, because they offer even more opportunities for Hong Kong to develop, contribute, and benefit from, because all these eight areas are exactly what Hong Kong has been doing. They are in perfect alignment. For example, strengthening multidimensional connectivity – this is Hong Kong's strength being an international city under the "one country, two systems" principle. Open world economy – this is always what Hong Kong is advocating and taking part in. Practical co-operation, as I have also mentioned already, includes big infrastructure projects, or "small but beautiful", special projects, then our professional services, financial services, etc, can all contribute. Green development – I have mentioned it already. We are very conscious about developing green economy in the long run and ensuring that we meet our target of being carbon neutral by 2050. And of course, in regard to scientific and I&T development, Hong Kong is being developed as an international I&T centre, so we have a lot to contribute. People-to-people exchange – I have already mentioned Hong Kong being an arts and cultural hub. Also, we are an education centre. We have a lot of scholarships for Belt and Road countries. For development of integrity-based Belt and Road co-operation, I have mentioned that the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) has been taking a leading role in helping Belt and Road countries in developing integrity management. We are running courses for some of the countries.  Institutional building and Belt and Road co-operation – we have also just mentioned – this year, we have just organised Hong Kong's Belt and Road Summit, which was attended by almost 6 000 representatives. We will continue to do this annually, and we will support our country's Belt and Road co-operation in all regards. All these eight areas are what we are doing already, and we will of course strengthen our efforts in these areas and contribute as much as we can.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)