XN000022-1996-05-02 — Page 5

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Five language projects funding awarded

The Director of Education and Trustee of the Language Fund, Mrs Helen C P Lai Yu, today (Thursday) approved funds totalling $14.3 million for five language improvement projects in the Fund's third and fourth allocation exercises since September 1994.

The successful projects three Chinese, one English and one cross-language - aim at improving the language proficiency of students and members of the public.

The Chinese language projects are a self-learning package on simplified Chinese characters, a parent-child reading programme for schools and a reading award scheme for secondary schools.

The English one is a self-learning package for post-secondary 5 students joining the engineering sector.

The cross-language project has been proposed by the Education and Manpower Branch to enable the future Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) to make an early start in implementing language projects recommended in Education Commission Report No 6 (ECR6).

The proposal envisages the engagement of two professionals for SCOLAR's Support Unit to help design, develop, monitor and evaluate research projects commissioned by the standing committee.

They will establish a network of liaison with relevant organisations and agencies on language projects, advise SCOLAR on the implications of research findings, set up a database of resource materials, and develop a public education and publicity programme on language matters.

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They will work on priority tasks recommended in ECR6 including:

a research into the optimal learning pattern for children in the acquisition of language skills;

a study of the general goals and specific attainment targets for language at primary level;

a review of the Academic Aptitude Test;