ENG-2010 — Page 199

Education 153

Travel subsidies totalling $102.7 million were provided to 43 225 students of post-secondary institutions.

Tuition Fee Reimbursement for Project Yi Jin Students and Adult Education

All eligible students of Project Yi Jin and designated evening adult education courses may receive a 30 per cent tuition fee reimbursement. Those who pass a means test may receive further fee reimbursement.

Scholarships

The $1 billion Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship Fund was established to award Government scholarships on the basis of merit to outstanding local and non-local students studying in full-time publicly- funded programmes at degree level or above in the eight UGC-funded institutions. and the HKAPA.

Another government scholarship entitled 'Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers' was set up in the 2010-11 school year to attract talent to join the teaching profession. The scholarship was awarded to the first batch of 48 students, each of whom was granted a scholarship worth $50,000 (local student) or $80,000 (non- local student) per annum.

Privately-funded scholarships administered by SFAA are provided for local and overseas studies mainly on a merit basis.

Community Participation in Education

Home-school Co-operation

Founded in 1993, the Committee on Home-school Co-operation promotes positive attitudes towards home-school co-operation by encouraging the establishment of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs). Up to 2010, more than 1 300 PTAs had been established. In 2010, the EDB funded the PTAs' organisation of about 2 950 school-based and district-based home-school co-operation activities.

School Business Partnership

In 2005, the EDB launched the Business-School Partnership Programme to take students out of the classroom to gain a wider perspective on society. In 2010, about 170 business firms participated in the programme, organising more than 300 activities and benefiting over 150 000 students.

Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education

The Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education was set up to advise on civic education and to implement activities in conjunction with the Government and parties concerned to promote civic education outside schools. In 2010, the committee concentrated its efforts on developing a positive attitude towards life, building happy families and an integrated and harmonious society, instilling positive moral values, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and enhancing understanding of the Basic Law, and a sense of national identity.