CS visits primary school (with photos/video)

CS visits primary school (with photos/video)
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     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Stephen Lam, who also chairs the Steering Committee on the Community Care Fund (CCF), visited the Endeavourers Leung Lee Sau Yu Memorial Primary School in Shau Kei Wan at noon today (October 17) to learn more about the implementation of education-related assistance programmes launched by the CCF.

     Joining Mr Lam on the visit were the Chairman of the CCF's Executive Committee, Dr Law Chi-kwong; the Chairman of the CCF's Medical Sub-committee, Mr Anthony Wu; and the Chairman of the CCF's Home Affairs Sub-committee, Mr Bunny Chan.

     Accompanied by the school headmaster, Mr Lam visited some school facilities and saw for himself the lunch arrangements for students. He also talked with teachers about the school's participation in the CCF's assistance programmes for providing subsidies to meet lunch expenses at school and subsidies for students to join learning activities outside Hong Kong.

     He was pleased to know that the school had joined these two programmes supported by the CCF and had received positive feedback on the programmes. He thanked the teaching staff for their tireless efforts.

     Mr Lam also enquired about the arrangements for the existing after-school care programme, which will serve as a reference for a similar programme to be devised by the CCF.

     Later, Mr Lam had lunch with some 20 students to learn more about the students' school life.

     The CCF announced 10 assistance programmes in April this year. Among them, the setting up of a school-based fund to subsidise students in joining learning activities outside Hong Kong was launched in June. Primary and secondary students from low-income families are eligible for assistance to participate in learning activities outside Hong Kong organised by the schools. The estimated annual expenditure is $160 million and some 240 000 students are expected to benefit from the three-year programme.

     Another assistance programme, providing school lunch subsidies, has come into operation this academic year to aid primary students who come from low-income families to meet their lunch expenses for one academic year. The estimated expenditure will be around $180 million and some 51 000 students will benefit from the programme.

Ends/Monday, October 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:38

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