Secretary for Education & Manpower Prof Arthur Li will visit Santiago, Chile on April 29, to attend the two-day Third Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Education Ministerial Meeting.

Prof Li will meet with ministers and senior officials from other APEC member economies sharing experiences and recent developments in four key areas:

* teaching English and other foreign languages;

* learning in mathematics and science;

* using technology for teaching and learning; and

* governance and systemic reform.

The meeting presents an opportunity for APEC member economies' senior officials to gather and strengthen collaborative initiatives in the field of education, in support of the APEC overall vision of achieving stability, security, and prosperity for people in the region.

Prof Li will also make an official visit to the Australian cities of Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney from May 3 to 8.

Prof Li to give two addresses

In Australia, he will call on Dr Brendan Nelson, Australian Government Minister for Education, Science & Training, and other senior officials in the areas of education and manpower development from the Federal Government and State Governments of Victoria and New South Wales.

At a luncheon roundtable to be organised by Asialink of the University of Melbourne, Prof Li will speak on manpower development in Hong Kong in relation to keeping pace with the new global economy.

He will also visit tertiary institutions and deliver the prestigious Syme Oration at the Annual Scientific Congress of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons in Melbourne.