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Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the "Walking with Lingnanians" Fundraising Walkathon 2015 starting ceremony at the Kwun Tong Promenade this morning (October 25):
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. I am pleased to be here today to attend the Kick-off Ceremony of the "Walking with Lingnanians" Fundraising Walkathon of the Lingnan University with all of you. I can see that you are all set to support this annual major fund-raising event. I am sure that today's walkathon will help raise funds to support future development of Lingnan University.
The Lingnan University has always cherished its motto, "Education for Service". Over the years, it has been a training ground for whole-person education for members of our community. Lingnan is renowned for its promotion of liberal arts education, in particular the emphasis on instilling a sense of civic duty in students. Lingnan also plays an active part in promoting international exchange programmes, thereby broadening students' horizons and enhancing their ability to meet various challenges after graduation.
The SAR Government shares Lingnan University's vision for the development of liberal arts education. In fact, the expansion of undergraduate programmes to four years in the new academic structure allows our university students more time for learning activities beyond lecture rooms. These activities not only enrich students' college life and experience, but also broaden their horizons and enable them to achieve lifelong learning.
The Government has been committed to supporting the development of post-secondary education in Hong Kong, and will continue to invest heavily in higher education. Apart from progressively increasing the annual senior-year undergraduate intake in funded institutions, starting from the last academic year, we provide a subsidy of up to $15,000 for each eligible post-secondary student as an incentive for joining exchange programmes outside Hong Kong, so as to ensure that no students will be deprived of opportunity to make the most of their post-secondary life due to a lack of means.
So finally, I wish today's event a great success and all participants a very enjoyable experience. Thank you very much.
Ends/Sunday, October 25, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:01
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MP4 format