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More than 40 students participating in the 2013-14 Reading Programme for Children and Youth and 12 volunteers who had outstanding performance in the Voluntary Helpers Scheme during the same year received certificates and Gold Awards respectively today (November 15). The awards, presented by the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, aim to encourage students' active reading and volunteering at libraries to enrich their knowledge and life experiences.
Both programmes were organised by the HKPL. In the reading programme, 40 book reports were awarded "Star of the Month". Among them, 11 with the best reports were awarded "Reading Supernova". Fourteen members who were most active in attending the Monthly Meeting of Joyful Reading were awarded "Elite of Joyful Reading" medals.
In addition, schools which had successfully nominated the largest number of members were presented with "Most Active School in Promoting Participation" awards while those with the highest total score of books read by their nominated members were presented with "Most Active School in Promoting Reading" awards. The winning schools are as follows:
"Most Active School in Promoting Participation" award:
Ng Wah Catholic Primary School
New Territories Women & Juveniles Welfare Association Ltd Leung Sing Tak Primary School
SKH Chi Fu Chi Nam Primary School
St Peter's Catholic Primary School
SKH Yau Tong Kei Hin Primary School
SKH Yan Laap Primary School
Po Leung Kuk Riverain Primary School
"Most Active School in Promoting Reading" award:
Pak Tin Catholic Primary School
SKH Tin Wan Chi Nam Primary School
W F Joseph Lee Primary School
SKH Yan Laap Primary School
Aberdeen St Peter's Catholic Primary School
Lui Cheung Kwong Lutheran Primary School
Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Central Library today, the Assistant Director of Leisure and Cultural Services (Libraries and Development), Miss Rochelle Lau, pointed out that reading helps people enrich their knowledge and wisdom.
She said, "Mr Hu Shi, a renowned scholar in modern China, suggested that apart from using our eyes and minds, we have to use our hands when reading. It is essential to make our own records, summaries, notes or illustrations of what we have read after reading. By doing this, we can digest the knowledge of books and put it to good use in life."
The Reading Programme for Children and Youth encourages participants to write down their ideas and comments after thorough reading and recommends good books for sharing the fun of reading with others.
Launched in 1984, the programme has been well received by both schools and students. It aims to arouse the interest of children and youth in reading, cultivate their reading habits, widen their scope of reading and knowledge, enhance their ability in language use and encourage parents' active participation in paired reading.
Children and youths from kindergarten to Secondary Six can join the reading programme individually or through their schools. Children from kindergarten to Primary Three are encouraged to join the family category so they can read with their parents.
The programme includes various activities, such as "Reading Footprints" to record reading progress, "Sharing My Joyful Reading" to share the fun of reading experience, "Recommending My Favourite Book" for participants to recommend and share the books they read, and "Monthly Meeting of Joyful Reading" to broaden their scope of reading. The programme also encourages participants to read electronic books and keep up with new reading technology.
Members who submit a reading report will be eligible for the "Star of the Month" and "Reading Supernova" awards.
People interested in participating in the coming year's reading programme or volunteering at a library may contact any public library for details.
Ends/Saturday, November 15, 2014
Issued at HKT 13:30
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