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Following is the speech by acting Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Christian Alliance International School (CAIS) this morning (May 31):
Mr Enns (Head of School, CAIS, Mr Art Enns), Consul General Ian (Consul General of Canada, Mr J Ian Burchett), distinguished Guests, parents, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. I am very pleased to join you all today for the ground-breaking Ceremony of the new campus of the Christian Alliance International School.
The CAIS has been a valuable member of Hong Kong's international schools sector since it first opened its doors to students in 1992. Through a highly competitive process, the school was allocated this greenfield site in Lai Chi Kok in 2009 to expand its campus. And just in case some of you wonder why the school was a bit tardy in developing the school site because the allocation took place in 2009, I can explain to you that the problem lies, as usual, with the Government. Because this site was handed over in phases and the last parcel of site was not available until last year, I understand. So, the allocation is actually a recognition of the school's achievements. I am delighted to join you all for this ceremony marking a new milestone in the development of the CAIS.
From its first intake of around 40 students in 1992, the school has expanded to cater for more than 800 students from 20 different countries. It has also gained accreditation from the Alberta Government in Canada. When completed, this new campus will make room for 1 600 students to benefit from the high-quality education offered by the CAIS. As you can see from the backdrop, this is not an easy site ¡ª surrounded by highways. But I can assure you, Mr Enns, upon completion, this will be one of the best international schools in Hong Kong.
Allocation of this greenfield site to the CAIS is testament to its strength and high standard as a home-grown international school providing a diverse learning environment for local and overseas students. I congratulate the school management, teachers and students who, through their community spirit, have pulled together to make this project possible.
This achievement is also due in no small part to the dedicated efforts of the school's sponsoring body, the Kowloon Tong Church of the Chinese Christian and Missionary Alliance (KTAC). The KTAC is our strong partner in Hong Kong's education sector. It runs four kindergartens, seven primary schools and four secondary schools as well as the CAIS. Together these schools meet the needs of many families and students from different backgrounds in Hong Kong.
This new campus also highlights the Hong Kong SAR Government's commitment to developing a lively international schools sector to meet the current and future demand of our community and live up to our reputation as Asia's world city. In April 2013 we allocated three vacant school premises for use by international schools. Just yesterday, invitations for Expression of Interest for two premises and three greenfield sites in Southern District, Tai Po and Sai Kung closed. We are much encouraged by the response from both local and overseas organisations.
Allocation of greenfield sites and vacant school premises is part of our effort to address the shortage of international school places in Hong Kong. We have been working hard, or the Education Bureau (EDB) has been working hard, to overcome the projected shortfall of 4 200 international school places by the 2016/17 school year. With the latest allocations, we expect to broadly meet the target in the next few years.
In the medium term, we expect demand for international school places to increase still further. I appeal to all sectors of the community to pitch in to maintain a thriving international schools sector in Hong Kong. And there are a few things that the community can help us:
* At the district level, we need to build consensus within the community and find solutions to mainly traffic issues arising from the setting up of international schools.
* Established international schools can be "good neighbours" by sharing their facilities with the community and contributing to their local neighbourhood.
* Local schools must remain open-minded and ready to grasp the opportunities to raise standards and improve the learning environment through co-operation and exchanges with other establishments, including international schools.
* And parents should also be prepared to consider a broader spectrum of schools before deciding which one is best suited to their children's strengths and aspirations.
As for the HKSAR Government, we will continue to work hard to maintain high-quality education in Hong Kong. Education continues to receive the largest allocation of recurrent expenditure of any sector, amounting to more than one-fifth of the total recurrent government expenditure in the current financial year. In other words, every five dollars spent by the Government, one dollar goes to education. We also promote collaboration in education with the Mainland of China and countries around the world, of course including Canada. We deeply appreciate the support of the Canadian Consul General and other consular representatives in Hong Kong for our school site allocation exercise.
Naturally, the provision of international school places also has a business dimension. Providing world-class education for overseas students from different countries is an important part of Hong Kong's business-friendly environment and international competitiveness. With this in mind, the Government will continue to meet the needs of overseas families coming to work or invest in Hong Kong. I am delighted to see that the CAIS is very willing and able to participate in this process and contribute to our city's global competitiveness.
So ladies and gentlemen, this ceremony marks an important moment in the history of the Christian Alliance International School. I am confident that the school will make the most of this opportunity and continue to grow from strength to strength. We depend on the CAIS and its high-quality graduates to continue making valuable contributions to our community other than making multi-million revenue. Once again, I congratulate the CAIS on successfully taking forward this project and wish you every success with the new campus.
Thank you very much.
Ends/Saturday, May 31, 2014
Issued at HKT 12:49
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