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The way forward for civic education

The Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) will formulate its long term and short term strategies for the next ten years to create a climate conducive to the nurturing of "ideal citizens" and promotion of civic values, said CPCE Chairman, Mr Moses Cheng today (Saturday).

The Way Forward and Speaking at the "Civic Education 2000 Implementation" Conference, Mr Cheng noted that from the perspective of civic education, an ideal citizen should have acquired the basic knowledge on civic values, possessed the necessary skills to develop critical thinking as well as having a positive attitude of willing to play a constructive role in the civic mission of the community, the nation and the world.

Noting that the very purpose of the conference was to draw on the collective experience of front-line civic education workers, Mr Cheng said the CPCE would continue to benefit from the diversity of ideas provided by them in formulating its future plans.

"The CPCE has all along valued the collaborative efforts of community organisations in the promotion of civic education and will continue to provide support to them through the Community Participation Scheme," Mr Cheng said.

On the achievement of the CPCE over the past ten years, Mr Cheng said there had been a rise in the general level of civic awareness in HK as a result of the concerted effort of the CPCE, Education Department, schools, voluntary agencies and community organisations.

Through its Community Participation Scheme, the CPCE has provided sponsorship totalling about $11.5 million to over 350 projects that helped to disseminate civic education concepts to various sectors of the community.

Mr Cheng noted that with an increase in financial resources in the last couple of years, the CPCE had produced a number of resource materials and teaching kits on various civic education topics for use by education workers and the public.

"I am delighted to note that more and more people from different walks of life are visiting the Committee's Civic Education Resource Centre to obtain these materials.