Class Notes

ESF hopes for regulation change by end of year

Proposed amendments to the English Schools Foundation Ordinance bill will be debated at a bills committee after the first and second readings were conducted at a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday. An ESF spokesman said the organisation was hopeful the committee would discuss the bill before the end of the year. The amendments propose replacing the ESF's 130-member foundation and executive committee with a 25-member board of governors.

Endeavour Awards open

Applications have opened for the Endeavour Awards which give university students, researchers and professionals the chance to study in Australia. The scholarships cover undergraduate, postgraduate, vocational, research and professional development and are open to all fields. Applications close on July 31. Visit www.endeavour.dest.gov.au

ChineseU forms Australia link

The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Australian National University have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the International Centre for Human Values. The centre will research contemporary challenges to ethics and human values as a result of developments in medicine, biotechnology, information technology, law, economics and the humanities. ANU is a member of the 'Group of Eight' - an elite group of research universities in Australia.

Paper donation for HKU

The University of Hong Kong's Journalism and Media Studies Centre has received a HK$2 million donation from the descendants of the founder of a locally based Chinese-language newspaper. The donation, from the family of the late Shum Wai-yau - who started the Overseas Chinese Daily News in 1925 - will be used to provide two scholarships. The Overseas Chinese Daily News folded in 1995.

CityU in the workforce

City University of Hong Kong will launch its first professional internship programme for students reading public and social administration this summer. The programme offers an opportunity for 22 students to gain work experience at 12 corporations, including the Hospital Authority and the Consumer Council.

Lingnan hosts conference

Lingnan University is hosting the first Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning, which ends today. Among the participants are representatives from the United Nations, the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia. Service-learning is the integration of work and study.

PolyU hands out honours

Hong Kong Polytechnic University will award 14 honorary fellowships later this month. The recipients include Professor Leung Tin-pui, honorary director of PolyU's Confucius Institute, renowned New York fashion designer Vivienne Tam, Paul Chow Man-yiu, director of the World Federation of Exchanges, and Barry Lawson Burton, PolyU's founding librarian. The fellowships will be conferred on June 12.

HKU recognises staff

The University of Hong Kong has awarded long-service awards to 16 staff. They include members of the university as well as the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education. Among the recipients are Ora Kwo and Gerard Postliglione of the university's faculty of education.

Education editor

Steve Cray has been appointed education editor of South China Morning Post, replacing Katherine Forestier who left to join the British Council. Mr Cray joined the Post in 2001, having formerly worked on the Independent newspaper in London and as a freelance journalist in Europe and Africa.