The Education Bureau will increase the number of Mainland student exchange programs and “red resource” trips for the Civic Studies Mainland to 33 and 15 respectively in the next school year to support the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Education Curriculum Framework (2025) and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, so as to help students understand the revolutionary stories and the struggles of revolutionary predecessors and cultivate the national spirit.
Regarding the gastroenteritis incident in the Mainland exchange group earlier, the Education Bureau pointed out that it has been selecting the Mainland exchange and study tour organizers according to the government’s established procedures. If the performance of the organizer is poor, it will be handled according to the established mechanism. However, according to the existing records, no organizer has been removed from the list of exchanges and study tours due to its poor record.
The Education Bureau strengthens patriotic education and adds 48 “red resource” inspection trips in the next school year
In response to a question from a member of the Legislative Council today (23rd), the Secretary for Education, Ms. Cai Ruolian, said that starting from the next school year (2025/26 school year), in order to further strengthen patriotic education and to cooperate with the implementation of the “Hong Kong National Security Education Curriculum Framework” (2025) and commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Education Bureau will increase the number of “red resource” trips for students in the Mainland exchange program and the Mainland inspection of the Civic Subject to 33 and 15 respectively, to help students understand the revolutionary stories and the struggle footprints of revolutionary predecessors and cultivate the national spirit.
In response to the “Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address” proposing to provide no less than 30 “red resource” trips in students’ Mainland exchange and inspection activities starting from the 2024/25 school year, the Education Bureau said that relevant visiting points, including historical sites, museums, special memorial halls, etc. and learning activities, have been added to the 30 trips of the student Mainland exchange program and the 11 trips of the Mainland inspection of the Civic Subject.
More than 80,000 primary and secondary school students signed up for the Student Mainland Exchange Program this school year
Tsai Ruo-lin pointed out that the Student Mainland Exchange Program is a voluntary program for students and has always been popular with schools, parents and students. With the resumption of full border crossing between Hong Kong and the Mainland, the bureau restarted the Student Mainland Exchange Program in the 2023/24 school year. The number of students participating was about 68,000, which was similar to the level before the epidemic. In the 2024/25 school year, more than 80,000 primary and secondary school students have signed up for the Student Mainland Exchange Program, which shows that the program is widely welcomed by schools.
In addition, the Education Bureau started the Mainland field trip for the Civics subject in April 2023. In the past three school years (2022/23 to 2024/25 school years), a total of more than 140,000 high school students and 15,000 teachers have been arranged to participate. In the 2024/25 school year, more than 50,000 students participated in the Mainland field trip for the Civics subject. The number of trips will increase from 22 1- to 3-day trips in Guangdong Province in the 2022/23 school year to 28 1- to 5-day trips in the 2024/25 school year, covering 11 provinces and municipalities. Participating students will participate in different types of learning activities during the Mainland visits, and some trips will be arranged for experiential learning activities at the local “Comprehensive Practice Activity Base” or other visiting points.
The Education Bureau started the Mainland visit for the Civics subject in April 2023. In the past three school years (2022/23 to 2024/25 school years), a total of more than 140,000 high school students and 15,000 teachers have been arranged to participate. (Photo/Photo by Su Weiran)
Education Bureau: Seriously follow up on the gastroenteritis incident in the exchange group, no organizer has been removed
Regarding the earlier incident of gastroenteritis symptoms in many schools during the mainland exchange and study tour, the Education Bureau said that it has seriously and quickly followed up with relevant mainland institutions and units to provide appropriate support to the schools concerned, including arranging for unwell students to go to local medical treatment with the consent of their parents, arranging rooms for them to prevent cross-infection, and providing disinfectants and disinfected tourist buses. For safety reasons, the bureau has immediately asked the relevant organizers to stop using the suspected restaurant involved, and asked all restaurants that provide meals for the student mainland exchange program and the civic subject mainland study tour to suspend the supply of raw and cold food, cooked shellfish and seafood, etc.
The Education Bureau said that it has been selecting the organizers of the mainland exchange and study tour according to the government’s established procedures, and conducting procurement and approval work, and the organizers must have relevant experience in organizing student mainland exchanges and study tours. The bureau also said that if the organizer performs poorly, it will be handled according to the established mechanism. However, according to existing records, no organizing organization has been removed from the list of organizations that can host exchange and study tours by the Education Bureau due to its poor record.
