Fifty students at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) will spend the summer in English-speaking countries under a 10-week immersion programme designed to improve their English and teaching skills.
'English is an important international language that we all want to see young people in Hong Kong master,' HKIEd director Professor Ruth Hayhoe said.
'We are out to prove that we can have students who are proficient in both English and Chinese.' The 10-week programme has been made possible through the support of British Airways, the Hongkong Telecom Foundation, the Rotary Club of Kowloon, the British Council, the Lee Hysan Foundation and the South China Morning Post. Their combined support will account for 50 per cent of the programme's total funding requirements.
The participants are from HKIEd's first group of Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Primary) Programme students. The four-year programme was launched at the beginning of this academic year. Primary school teacher-trainees formerly received two years of formal training.
One of the main benefits of spending several weeks abroad was psychological, an institute spokesman said.
'The problem Hong Kong students have with spoken English boils down to confidence,' said Dr Vernon Crew, senior lecturer and head of the Department of English.
'Their spoken English is much better than they think it is.' Kris Leung Chun-wai is one of 20 students heading for Canada, where she will live with a Canadian family and study at York University in Toronto.
