ENG-2001 — Page 60

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

24

The programme also provides learning opportunities for staff in support of various Civil Service Reform initiatives and in relation to the implementation of the VR scheme. In this regard, the momentum to help redeployment and job transition of staff affected by the VR exercise was sustained during the year. Over 400 seminars/courses on various areas including information technology, languages, office procedures, counselling skills for supervisors and mindset change were offered to more than 9 000 staff.

The patrons of the Cyber Learning Centre (CLC) continued to increase. It now has a total of 20 000 registered users. In 2001, the CLC was upgraded to provide a more user-friendly environment for web learning. More self-learning resources and tools were developed to cater to the different needs of staff.

Management training programmes continued to be organised for officers at different managerial levels. These included various management programmes conducted in Hong Kong and overseas, the Leadership in Public Sector Programme and the Leadership Enhancement and Development Programme conducted by the John F. Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University.

All government departments were required to prepare an annual training and development plan so that their departmental strategic objectives and corporate goals could be more effectively supported by T&D activities. A guide was issued in November to facilitate departments in preparing and improving their plan.

To enhance civil servants' understanding of the systems and development of the Mainland, a series of visits and courses was organised. Efforts were also made to enhance civil servants' knowledge of the Basic Law through a Singing Contest, a Story Writing Competition, and other promotional courses and activities.

Language

The official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English. It is the Government's policy to develop and maintain a Civil Service that is proficient in both written Chinese and English and conversant in Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English.

While reports and publications of public interest issued by the Government are available in both languages, correspondence with the public is in the language appropriate to the recipients. Simultaneous interpretation services are provided at official meetings when necessary.

The Official Languages Agency assumes a strategic and proactive role in providing language support to bureaux and departments. In 2001, the agency continued to promote the wider use of Chinese in the Civil Service in addition to its responsibility of delivering translation and interpretation services. It implemented specific action plans for bureaux and departments including a system of network liaison officers; a telephone enquiry service on general usage of Chinese; and an outreach programme to assist departments in the use of Chinese.

The agency also developed writing aids and reference materials such as guidebooks on official Chinese writing. By the end of the year, the agency had compiled 21 volumes of English-Chinese glossaries of terms commonly used in government departments and sets of samples of official documents. The agency will continue its efforts in the provision of high quality language support to bureaux and departments.

Page 60Page 61