新聞公報及演辭

演辭(2005年及以後)

2006年3月9日

語常會委員陳樹基先生
(英語節2006籌備委員會主席)
英語節2006之英語辯論工作坊2006 -- 大學聯校辯論比賽致辭全文
(只設英文版)

Mr Alan Leong, Mr Alex Shiu, principals and teachers, ladies and gentlemen,

The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) is privileged to organise the English Festival 2006, which aims at raising students and public interest in the learning and use of English. Our first-ever Festival last year recorded an encouraging response of 20,000 participants in its various activities, and over 1.6 million viewers of its TV programme on English usage.

This year, we have ten lively English activities to be run from February until July 2006. We are so delighted and thankful to have the Hong Kong Parliamentary Debating Society (HKPDS) as one of our activity organisers to organise the English Debate Competition and Workshop 2006. HKPDS is formed by a group of university students with common passion for debate and have devoted enormous efforts to promote a vibrant and talented debating community in Hong Kong.

The programme consists of three parts. Tonight you will enjoy one of the most exciting debates between the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. You are also invited to participate in the Grand Final of the Joint-Universities Debating Competition to be held on 29 April 2006. In between these debating competitions, workshops will be held for the participating teachers and students. Finally, a day camp on parliamentary style debating will be held on 27 May 2006 at Wu Kwai Sha Youth Village. These events provide an excellent opportunity for our students to grasp the essence of debate and demonstrate that there are other ways to improve English outside the classroom.

I believe that, students and teachers who have participated in this programme, will value and maximise such precious experience and disseminate what you have learnt, to your school and peers.

Finally, I wish every one of you will find the competition, as well as the workshops over the next couple of weeks, enlightening, fruitful and fun.

Thank you.