The inaugural cohort of the Master's Degree in Public Policy Programme for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s senior civil servants graduated today.

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung witnessed the civil servants being awarded certificates at the graduation ceremony organised by Peking University’s School of Government.

Addressing the ceremony, Mrs Yeung said civil servants are the backbone of the Government. As Hong Kong moves towards a new era of stability to prosperity, identifying and nurturing more governing talent who are patriotic and love Hong Kong, have good morals and integrity, and are competent and people oriented, together with an innovative spirit and an international perspective, is crucial for enhancing the Government's governance capabilities and leading Hong Kong in addressing the current sophisticated international landscape and challenges.

The civil service chief thanked the Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) for its strong support as well as Peking University for attaching great importance to this programme.

Through engaging in the year-long immersive learning in Beijing, participants have had in-depth exchanges with scholars, officials and the public, which have significantly deepened their understanding of the country and enriched their knowledge of the country's politics and public administration.

The insights gained from the development experiences on the Mainland also prompted the participants to thoughtfully reflect on what areas and experiences Hong Kong can learn from, and how to combine the strengths of both systems of the Mainland and Hong Kong to complement each other so that Hong Kong can move faster, gain more and contribute more to the country in its active integration into the overall national development.

The knowledge gained and examples learned in respect of public administration also stimulated them to reflect on how to enhance the governance efficiency of the Hong Kong SAR when they return to work, align it more closely with public sentiment, and thereby gain the most for citizens, Mrs Yeung added.

Frederick Yu from the Administrative Officer Grade was one of the graduate representatives. At the ceremony, Mr Yu promised on behalf of all participants that they would support the Hong Kong SAR Government in enhancing governance capabilities through practice and actions.

Co-organised by the bureau and Peking University, the Master's Degree in Public Policy Programme lasts for two years.

Participants have to study full-time at Peking University for the first year and complete their thesis and apply their learning to enhancing the governance of Hong Kong after returning to the city in the second year.

Before the ceremony, the delegation led by Mrs Yeung met Peking University President Gong Qihuang to exchange views on civil service training.

After the ceremony, she met and chatted with the graduates of the inaugural cohort and the Hong Kong SAR civil servants who are currently studying at Peking University to understand more about their learning experiences and reflections.

She reminded them that civil servants have to shoulder the leadership responsibility in guiding their teams to proactively implement government policies and work together to achieve good governance for Hong Kong after completion of their studies.