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The following is issued on behalf of the Elderly Commission:
The Elderly Commission and the Labour and Welfare Bureau are promoting lifelong learning for elders through sponsoring seminars in elderly learning by the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
Speaking at the ceremony to launch the Inaugural 2009 Public Seminars in Elderly Learning today (January 16), the Chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr Leong Che-hung, and the President of the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Professor Anthony Cheung, said that the commission had been promoting lifelong learning and self-enhancement for elders through the Elder Academy Scheme.
The seminars, which are organised by the Elder Academy of the Hong Kong Institute of Education and sponsored by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Elderly Commission, invite renowned international scholars in the field to speak on elderly learning.
With the theme "Educational Initiatives for the Elderly", the seminar held today discussed different teaching methods for elderly students. The speaker, Dr Rick Swindell, who is a pioneer in online elderly education in Australia, shared with participants the empowering influence of the Internet for opening up new, low-cost opportunities for learning, teaching and social inclusion.
Professor Cheung said, "The Elder Academy, with support from the Elderly Commission and the Labour and Welfare Bureau, is being developed partly to provide opportunities for older learners to study alongside the institute's traditional student population and to provide opportunities for older Hong Kong residents to enrich the learning of those students. This seminar series marks an important development in the commitment of the Hong Kong Institute of Education to the provision of lifelong learning." Professor Cheung also said that the seminar series would encourage students of the institute to participate in the promotion of elderly learning.
Dr Leong said, "Many countries promote lifelong learning among elders and research findings show that learning has a positive impact on their social life and mental well-being.
"With advancements in medical science, people have a longer lifespan, hence post-retirement life, nowadays. The commission attaches importance to promoting elders to live a fruitful life.
"The seminars serve as a platform for people interested in elderly learning to share their experience. We hope to mobilise more educational institutions to take part in this meaningful task and promote whole-person education in the community. While there is a saying that 'education is for all', we aim at achieving 'education for all ages'. People of different ages should have the opportunity to receive education."
Three more seminars will be held at the Hong Kong Institute of Education in Tai Po on February 20, March 6 and 20. For details of the seminars, please browse the Elder Academy website (www.elderacademy.org.hk). For registration, please call 2948 8761.
The Elder Academy Scheme was jointly launched by the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Elderly Commission in early 2007 to encourage elders to continue learning so as to foster their sense of worth, and to promote intergenerational harmony, civic education and cross-sectoral collaboration.
At present, there are 78 elder academies at primary and secondary schools. The scheme has also been extended to the tertiary education institutes. The University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Open University of Hong Kong, the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Institute of Education, the Hong Kong Shue Yan University and the Lingnan University have set up elder academies on their campuses to offer courses for elders.
Ends/Friday, January 16, 2009
Issued at HKT 16:30
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