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Valuable lesson

Michael Gibb

One million students taking the same lesson on the same day?

That's the target for English-To-Go, a New Zealand publishing company, which tomorrow will try to smash its own record for the world's largest lesson - the most students doing the same lesson around the world within a 24-hour period.

At the same time, the organisers will draw attention to the terrifying threat posed by landmines to innocent civilians in war-torn countries.

The event, now in its third year, is raising money for Adopt-A-Minefield, a British campaign group, and coincides with the UK's first national No More Landmines Day, an event supported by the National Union of Teachers.

'We want to get as many schools, teachers and students involved in this worthwhile, charitable event,' said Chris Hogg, chief executive officer of English-To-Go.

'Through this programme we hope to raise awareness among millions of people around the world about these terrible weapons.'

The project gets the thumbs up from former Beatle singer-songwriter Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills, patrons and goodwill ambassadors for Adopt-A-Minefield.

'Through the world's largest lesson, thousands of students around the world will become aware of this most important issue and help raise funds to solve the problem,' they said in a joint statement on the English-To-Go website.

Mr Hogg said English-To-Go had pledged 10 per cent of new subscriptions to its services this month to the UK anti-landmine organisation, and money would also be raised from teachers and students who got involved.

To take part, teachers simply print the ready-to-go lesson from the company's website, teach it to their class tomorrow, and report the number of children who take part to English-To-Go.

The material is built around an authentic news story about the terrors of landmines taken from the Reuters news agency.

Adam Rekrut, a secondary school native English-speaking teacher (NET) who works in a school in Kowloon, said the record attempt was a 'wonderful idea' and that he would use the lesson if he had time.

Adele Pellerin, a primary school NET at Sheung Wan schools, said she would also use the lesson if time permitted, but said it needed modification for a Hong Kong context. For example, she said, teachers could use Hong Kong Canto-pop stars or actors to replace the Western celebrities.

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