Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung
Supported by the Home Affairs Bureau and Commission on Youth under the Large-scale Youth Programme Funding Scheme 2017, this marathon and carnival is designed to broaden our youth's horizons and knowledge as well as unleash their creativity and leadership. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to ESF and its project committee for organising such a meaningful event to tie in with this Government's vision of promoting youth development to groom the future generations into leaders who are socially responsible and equipped with a positive outlook a sense of our national identity, a love for Hong Kong and of course international perspective.
Over the past 50 years, ESF has grown to become the largest provider of quality English-medium international education in Hong Kong, serving 17,500 students from more than 60 different nationalities. I agree entirely with the ESF's vision to bring out the best in every student through a personalised approach to learning and by inspiring curious minds. This explains why more and more local parents find the ESF a preferred choice for their children. Indeed, I noted that some 70% of ESF's students have parents who are permanent residents of Hong Kong.
Speaking of nurturing youths, the Government has spared no efforts in establishing Hong Kong's position as a talent hub. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, proposed in her Election Manifesto an immediate increase of recurrent education expenditure by $5 billion a year. Various quality education initiatives funded by the initial allocation of $3.6 billion are being launched progressively starting from the current school year. We will continue to discuss with the education sector how the remaining $1.4 billion recurrent funding should be put to good use. We will also provide additional resources where necessary.
As announced in the Policy Address a week ago, the Youth Development Commission chaired by me will soon be set up in the first half of 2018 with a view to examining issues of concern to young people in a holistic and co-ordinated manner. To broaden the horizons of youngsters, we will continue to actively promote overseas internships arranged by our Economic & Trade Offices, offer more internship opportunities on the Mainland, the Belt & Road countries and other parts of the world, and proactively sign more Working Holiday Scheme agreements with suitable economies. Through these continuous efforts, I am sure that we can help our young people get connected and look to a future of hope and happiness.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung gave these remarks at the ESF 50th Anniversary Marathon.
