HK QEF to focus on Belt and Road and Chinese culture

ChairmanofQualityEducationFundSteeringCommitteeDuffyWongChun-nam(secondright)andEducationBureauofficialsunveilsubsidizedprogramstosupportstudentexchangesatapressconferenceonMarch21.

（CHINADAILY）

HongKong'sQualityEducationFund(QEF)willfocusontheBeltandRoadInitiativeandChinesecultureeducationinthenextschoolyear,saysQEFSteeringCommitteeChairmanDuffyWongChun-nam.

ThiswassotheQEFcouldalignitselfwiththegovernment’seducationpolicies,Wongexplained.

TheQEFvowedtobooststudents’knowledgeofChinesehistoryandculture.ItwouldencouragethemtolearnmoreabouttheBeltandRoadInitiativebyjoiningexchangeswithotherregions.

ItwillalsopromoteScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathematics(STEM)education,whichthegovernmenthasattachedgreatimportanceto,saidWong.

PrincipalAssistantSecretaryofEducationBureauJennyChanYuen-hansaidtheQEFwouldoffermorefinancialsupportforstudentstovisittheBeltandRoadregionsandalsootherEuropeanandAmericancountries.IndividualassistanceofferedwouldbefromHK$6,500toHK$11,500.

ShesaidthattheHK$1.7millionfundwasreleasedlastyeartosubsidizestudents’exchangestudiesonthemainland.ThenumberofapplicationsforoverseasexchangesinSingapore,JapanandevencountriesinAfricaandEuropehadalsoincreased.

TheQEFprocessed722applicationsfromschoolsandothereducationalorganizationslastyear,amongwhich299applicationswereapproved.ThetotalgrantamountedtosomeHK$69.4million.ThegrantforeachapplicationrangedfromaroundHK$35,000toHK$3.17million.

AmongotherQEFprioritythemesarecateringtostudentdiversity,encouragingeffectivelearning,teachingoflanguages,usinge-learningtools,promotingahealthylifestyleaswellasthepositivedevelopmentofstudents,etc.

DuffyWongsaidthattheQEFwouldcontinuetoacceptmini-applications;thegrantsofthesedonotexceedHK$150,000.

AseriesofbriefingsessionswillbeorganizedinAprilandMaytofamiliarizepotentialapplicantswiththeprioritiesandtheapplicationrules.Detailscanbeviewedviathefund’swebsiteafterMarch24.

ThisQEFwaslaunchedin1997bytheHongKonggovernmenttosupportworthwhilenon-profitmakinginitiativesrelatingtoeducation.