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The following is issued on behalf of the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence Steering Committee (2005-2006):
The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, today (July 8) said he was proud of Hong Kong's professional and vibrant teaching force.
Mr Tsang made the remarks during a ceremony when he presented the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence (ATE) (2005-2006) to 42 teachers from primary, secondary and special schools in appreciation of their exemplary teaching practices in mathematics and science, the two themes for this year's award. Another 38 teachers received their ATE Certificates of Merit from the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li.
Mr Tsang said it was heartening to see students doing better and better in mathematics and science in international competitions and surveys over the years. "This can be attributed to their teachers who have been helping them all along," Mr Tsang said.
"While complimenting individual teachers for their achievements, I would also like to thank all our teachers for their unfailing commitment to the teaching profession notwithstanding the extra demands and challenges brought about by the education reform.
"I have no doubt about our teachers' belief in the mission and vision of education reform and their determination to perfect themselves in order to demonstrate to their students what it takes to be a lifelong learner.
"I believe that to all our teachers, teaching is much more than a job. It is, indeed, the enlightenment of our young minds, to which all of you are dedicated and from which you will derive utmost satisfaction and fulfilment."
The ATE (2005-2006) attracted more than 140 nominations, of which 20 nominations (42 teachers) were selected for the Award and 17 nominations (38 teachers) for the Certificate of Merit. The assessment of nominations covered five domains -- professional competence, student development, commitment to the profession and community, professionalism and school development.
Chairman of the Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence Steering Committee (2005-2006) Mr Pang Yiu-kai, said that while the awarded teaching practices had their own characteristics, they had all been designed to cater for the learning needs of their students with regard to individual school situations. "We are pleased to see that students can learn the beauty of mathematics and science with pleasure and positive effect," Mr Pang said. He believed that these exemplary teaching practices could inspire other teachers to pursue excellence in teaching.
Highlights of today's ceremony included a sharing session during which students of the awardees talked about how their studies and lives had been enriched by their teachers both inside and outside the classroom.
Results of the ATE (2005-2006) are available from the ATE website (www.ate.gov.hk). People will be able to see for themselves the exemplary practices of the award winning teachers by viewing "A Rainbow of Teaching (2005-2006)" -- a special feature produced by RTHK and on air on the ATV-Home Channel at 7 pm on July 20 (Mathematics) and July 27 (Science). The programme will also be uploaded onto RTHK's website.
Sharing activities for winning teachers will be rolled out starting September this year, to be followed by a large-scale ATE (2005-2006) exhibition in November for fellow teachers and the public to learn more about the experiences of the awardees. Details will be announced nearer the time.
As for the ATE (2006-2007), nominations will be accepted from July 10 to October 9, 2006. It will be open to teachers of the Arts Education Key Learning Area (KLA) and the Personal, Social and Humanities Education KLA. Nominations from kindergarten teachers relating to the teaching of music and movement, drama and visual arts will also be welcome. For details, please check the ATE website.
Ends/Saturday, July 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:46
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