ENG-1995 — Page 53

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

promote understanding between Hong Kong civil servants and their counterparts on the mainland. Key components of the studies include:

Tsinghua Course: Each course consists of four weeks of classroom lectures at the Tsinghua University in Beijing, followed by 10-day visits to cities such as Dalian, Wuhan, Chengdu and Qingdao. The objective is to increase course members' understanding of the political, social, economic and legal systems of China, and to improve their Putonghua and written Chinese. Five courses, each with 26 students, are organised annually.

Familiarisation Visits: Four visits are organised per year, each of which gives 12 officers the opportunity to get a better understanding of China's government system and way of life.

China Seminars: Speakers knowledgeable about China-related issues are invited from within and outside the government to deliver seminars to public servants. Self-learning Packages: Packages comprising videos and booklets on China-related subjects are developed for use by civil servants.

Commissioned Courses: Local tertiary institutes are commissioned to run short courses for civil servants.

Chinese language training, which includes Putonghua and official Chinese writing, is being offered to a larger number of officers. Additional Cantonese courses are provided for expatriate officers to enable them to work effectively in the Chinese community.

The government will continue to identify and develop officers to provide a pool of talent to fill senior positions. They will be offered training and development opportunities, including overseas management training or attachment to branches in the Government Secretariat to expose them to strategic and policy work.

Government Records Service

The Government Records Service is responsible for the management of government records. It undertakes two different but related programmes: the Records Manage- ment Office is responsible for a records management programme to handle current as well as inactive records; and the Public Records Office for an archives administration programme to look after the preservation and use of permanent records.

The appropriate management of records affects the efficiency of business in government. The Records Management Office has to oversee and develop a com- prehensive system to manage records effectively and efficiently, from their creation to their destruction, when all useful purposes have been served. Since November 1994, a Records Management Strategy has been formulated and implemented by phases to help the civil service improve the quality of records services, control the growth of records, reduce the records stock, and enhance cost-effectiveness in records management.

The Public Records Office is one of the largest local sources of information for historical and other studies relating to Hong Kong. The public archives also help to foster the identity of the Hong Kong community through the safe-keeping of permanent records on the territory's history and development.

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