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Conference on drug education to be held next week
Some 250 local educators, professionals, representatives of voluntary agencies and about 40 overseas participants will learn from the expertise of Pacific Rim countries on drug education next week.
First of its kind ever staged in Hong Kong, the International Conference on Drug Education in Schools is organised by the Education Department in support of the Beat Drug Campaign.
The Director of Education, Mrs Helen C P Lai YU, will officiate at the opening ceremony of the two-day conference at the Hong Kong Science Museum on February 18 (Tuesday).
On the first day of the conference, Professor Eric Single from University of Toronto will give an account on new developments in drug education in Canada.
Professor Shingo Katsuno from Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Japan will deliver a speech on school-based drug abuse prevention in his country.
Ms Thelma Guerrero-Santos from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, Philippines will introduce health promotion and drug abuse prevention in schools there.
Dr Jiang-ping Sun from State Education Commission, China will give a speech on dealing with school drug use in China.
Local experts, Professor Chen Char-nei from Action Committee Against Narcotics and Mrs Jenny McGlynn from Life Education Activity Programme, will give presentations on perspectives of drug education in schools in Hong Kong and life education approach in primary schools respectively.
On the second day of the conference, Dr Jit Singh from Malaysia, Dr Teck-hong Ong from Singapore, Mr Sung-Tai Yoon form Korea, and Mr Prasert Tanskul from Thailand will brief the participants on recent developments on drug education in schools in their countries.
Professor Patricia Morgan from University of California, Berkeley will introduce ways to build relations between community-based youth drug prevention programs and schools in the USA while Mr Peter Slattery from Australia will focus on drug use and drug education.
Participants will also have opportunities to share their views and experiences on further initiatives to improve drug education in schools during the forum session.
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