The World Organisation for Early Childhood Education (OMEP) Asia Pacific Regional Conference 2017, co-organised by the Education Bureau and OMEP - Hong Kong, is being held from today (May 18) to May 20 in Hong Kong. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, officiated at the opening ceremony today. Other officiating guests included the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim.
 
     Mr Cheung noted in his speech that 2017 is a truly auspicious year for Hong Kong. "First, this year marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the Motherland and the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Today's conference features as one of the series of major events celebrating this important occasion. Second, this year also celebrates the 25th anniversary of OMEP - Hong Kong," Mr Cheung said.

     "Third, this year will witness the launching of the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Policy in Hong Kong from the 2017/2018 school year onwards. This new policy represents an important milestone and a great step forward in our kindergarten education development."
 
     Mr Cheung pointed out that under the new policy, government expenditure on pre-primary education will rise from about $4 billion in 2016/17 to $6.7 billion in the 2017/18 school year, up by a hefty 68 per cent. The Government will boost the quality of kindergarten education through measures including revising the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum, refining the Quality Assurance Framework, strengthening the professional development of teachers and enhancing the support for students with diverse learning needs.
 
     With the theme "Enhancing the Quality of Early Childhood Education: Policies, Pedagogies and Parent Engagement", the conference is bringing together about 1,000 experts, principals and teachers from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea, the United Kingdom and elsewhere to explore the global trends in the development of early childhood education. Through the two-day (May 18 and 19) professional dialogues, participants will exchange views on specific issues such as quality assurance, pedagogy, the transition from kindergarten to primary education, catering for diversity, creativity and learning through play, through school visits, keynote addresses, featured forums, individual paper presentations, workshops, poster presentations, symposiums and seminars for parents. Keynote speakers include:

1. Professor Andrea Nolan from Deakin University, Australia
2. Professor Eunhye Park from Ewha Womans University, Korea
3. Professor Nirmala Rao from the University of Hong Kong
4. Professor Iram Siraj from University College London, United Kingdom 
5. Professor Yu Yongping from Nanjing Normal University, China
 
     Mr Ng said, "The third day (May 20) of the conference will target at parents, who play an important role in the kindergarten stage. Their understanding of the developmental needs of children will help them provide more appropriate support to their children. In this seminar, experts from the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong will explore with the participants on the themes of learning through play, parental role in supporting young children's language and literacy learning, as well as neuroscience of early brain development and importance of parenting."
 
     For more information about the conference, please visit omephkcon2017.org/.

Ends/Thursday, May 18, 2017
Issued at HKT 20:06

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