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Education

Olympiad, the International Physics Olympiad, the International Junior Science Olympiad and the International Olympiad in Informatics.

In music, Hong Kong students won gold medals in the Male Choir Class of the 3rd Asia Pacific Choir Games, and the Youth & Young Adult Choirs Class of the 24th Concorso Internazionale di Canto Corale (International Competition of Choral Singing), and also won the first prize in the Marimba Class of the Italy Percussion Competition 2013. Two students received first prizes in the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Instrumental Solo Classes.

In visual arts, a Hong Kong student won Grand Prize in the International Students' Visual Arts Contest-cum-Exhibition of Hong Kong - Photography, and one student received Second Prize in the On-site Painting at the 'International Children Painting Competition in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong students came first in a variety of sports at the Interport Secondary Schools Championships and the Interport Primary Schools Championships. Hong Kong young athletes won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal in the 2nd Asian Youth Games; three gold, five silver and two bronze medals in the 7th Asian Junior Wushu Championships; 33 gold, 33 silver and 35 bronze medals in the 7th Asian Rope Skipping Championships; and won the East Asian Football Federation U-18 Youth Tournament 2013, the Equestrian CSIY-B - International Jumping Open, the Asian Junior Figure Skating Challenge 2013-2014 and the 2013 Macau China International Tenpin Bowling Championships, Youth Open.

Major Challenges Ahead

Enhancing Kindergarten Education

Providing free and better quality kindergarten education is one of the priorities of the current- term government. In this connection, the Education Bureau set up a committee in April 2013 to make specific proposals on how to practicably implement free kindergarten education. The committee will complete its tasks in 2015.

Enhancing Support to Non-Chinese Speaking Students

Funding support for schools admitting non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students has been revised with effect from the 2013-14 school year so that it is no longer confined to the so-called 'designated schools. Instead, all public sector schools and schools in the Direct Subsidy Scheme admitting 10 or more NCS students receive the additional funding to support their NCS students in learning Chinese language. This will rectify the misunderstanding that NCS students are only allowed to study in so-called 'designated schools, enhance NCS students' Chinese language learning and widen the parental school choices in the long run. NCS parents are encouraged to send their children to schools with a rich Chinese language environment to help them master the language. In collaboration with non-governmental organisations and with funding provided by the Language Fund, the government organises various programmes for NCS children aged 3 to 9 in districts with a greater concentration of NCS children to encourage them to learn Chinese language through fun activities such as games and creative

art.

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