Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin joined school-year opening activities today at Tsung Tsin College (TTC) and Caritas Wu Cheng-chung College.

Addressing TTC’s school-year opening ceremony, Ms Choi commended the school on its continual efforts to promote mental health on campus and its enthusiastic participation in various Education Bureau programmes aimed at fostering self-discipline, self-improvement, self-confidence and resilience among students.

Presenting a “4Rs Roly-poly Doll” to the school and students as a gift, she said the bureau encouraged them to practise “rest, relaxation, relationships and resilience” to cultivate an unyielding spirit.

Ms Choi urged the students to maintain adequate sleep and cultivate healthy habits; take breaks from their busy schedules to do things they enjoy; develop interpersonal relationships; and keep a positive attitude in order to build their resilience.

Stressing that a good start is a crucial step towards success, she said they should set new goals and embark on a new learning journey.

During a tour of the TTC’s Garden of Eden, Ms Choi was briefed by the students on the agriculture practised there, the garden’s facilities, its integration into learning activities across different subjects, and its role in serving the community.

At the school’s student activity centre, she produced a hand-made 4Rs Roly-poly Doll 3D Card with students and teachers, and listened as they shared their own ways of practising the 4Rs.

The education chief then attended a school-opening praying assembly at Caritas Wu Cheng-chung College. She said at the ceremony that in the faces of changes in the city’s school-age population, the bureau is working with schools and their sponsoring bodies to maintain a healthy and sustainable educational environment and optimal use of public resources.

Ms Choi thanked Caritas Hong Kong for heeding the bureau’s suggestion in taking the innovative step of merging its Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School, an aided school, with Caritas Charles Vath College, a Direct Subsidy Scheme school, to form Caritas Wu Cheng-chung College.

Despite difficulties in the process, the merger was completed smoothly with the concerted efforts of the parties concerned, enabling better integration of resources to provide a more appropriate learning environment and enriched learning experiences for students, she added.

Ms Choi also toured the school’s Integrated Science Lab, Swift Coding Lab, IOT Lab and Black Box Theatre of the school, and listened to students talk about their learning experiences in science, applied technology and the performing arts.

She expressed gratitude to the teaching staff of the two schools for their selfless dedication to students, and encouraged the students to study hard in the new school year to build a good foundation for further studies and career development in the future.