SECRETARY for Education and Manpower Michael Leung Man-kin was asked in the Legislative Council meeting this week whether the Government would adopt in schools an English conversation programme launched by a business organisation for working people. Mr Leung said the American Chamber of Commerce English conversation programme was designed to assist people at work. 'At the school level, there are a number of English-speaking skills programmes organised for students,' Mr Leung said. 'Since October 1993, the Education Department and RTHK have been running the programme Teen Time, which provides opportunities for both local and expatriate students to practise English. 'Earlier this month, the Education Department and RTHK started another English radio programme - The Reading Ear - for local and expatriate students to discuss literature, poetry, drama and films.' A number of local secondary schools also organised joint activities with English Schools Foundation schools and other international schools in Hong Kong, he said. Mr Leung added that with the support of the Language Fund, a number of new initiatives would be implemented in 1995-96. They include: A three-year joint project between the Education Department and the Chinese University of Hong Kong starting from July this year. The project involves 12 English-speaking summer camps for 2,200 junior secondary students from 90 secondary schools, with native-speaking senior form students as camp leaders; and A Chatteris Education Foundation programme to provide 16 local secondary schools with native-speaking English language teaching assistants over a period of three years.
