5 October 2012
Issue 61
5 October 2012
Issue 61
The EOC Forum took place on 29 September 2012. About 100 stakeholders from various sectors were in attendance, including academia, disability groups, ethnic minority groups, women’s groups, legislators and district councillors. The Forum provided a platform for the EOC to highlight our past performance and new directions and initiatives to the public. The EOC Chairperson, Mr. LAM Woon-kwong, and the Convenors of the four Committees of the EOC gave presentations on the Commission’s work and answered questions from the audience. In addition, the Forum provided an opportunity for the Commission to directly communicate and have a dialogue with key stakeholders.
Read the press release
News Highlights
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.jpg "Cover of the Report of the Working Group on Education for Ethnic Minorities")
Members of the Policy and Research Committee (PARC) of the EOC met with the Permanent Secretary for Education, Mrs. Cherry TSE LING kit-ching, on 27 September 2012 to exchange views on issues concerning education for ethnic minority children, particularly in relation to early language support. During the exchange, the EOC Members emphasised the need to put in place additional measures to promote equal education opportunity for all, and urged the Government to take proactive action. “It is high time for the Education Bureau to face the issue and adopt a supportive and integrative language policy for ethnic minority students,” said the Convenor of the PARC, Dr. John TSE Wing-ling.
Afterwards, the Members held the 15th PARC Meeting to discuss the progress of ongoing research projects and the initial report of the EO Awareness Survey 2012.
Read the press release
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Many in Hong Kong’s ethnic minority community, particularly those from low-income households, still face significant obstacles in realizing their dreams, which stem largely from the difficulties they face in learning Chinese. Mr. LAM Woon-kwong, the EOC Chairperson, recently published a series of articles in English and Chinese on this topic. In September, he called for society to do more to promote cross-cultural interactions between various ethnic groups in Sing Tao Daily and The Standard. “Exposure to other traditions leads one to question their own assumptions, which can lead to greater openness to new ideas and innovative thinking,” wrote Mr. Lam. In early October in the South China Morning Post, Mr. Lam also highlighted the need for the Government to provide more support for ethnic minority children to attend kindergarten, in order to facilitate their Chinese learning from an early age. The absence of such support, said Mr. Lam, “directly correlate to the difficulties the children encounter later in mastering Chinese, which affect their access to higher education and employment opportunities in Hong Kong.”
Read the Sing Tao Daily article (in Chinese)
Read the South China Morning Post article (in English)
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The EOC’s roving exhibition to further promote the concept of "Access for All" has been held since March 2012 in MTR stations, shopping centres and government venues. The next exhibition will be staged at Cityplaza from 5 to 9 October 2012. It features 3-D displays of the perspectives of four user groups, namely people with visual impairment, people with hearing impairment, wheelchair users, and elderly people. With this exhibition, the EOC aims to raise awareness on the benefits of Universal Design in everyone's daily life and solicit public support for improving access. Check out the schedule below and come visit us.
Date |
Location |
5 - 9 October |
Cityplaza, Taikoo MTR Station (Exit D or E) |
16 - 18 October |
Tai Po Market MTR Station |
10 - 16 December |
Kwai Tsing Theatre |
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The EOC is one of the supporting organisations of the “Rehab Power Day”, a carnival hosted by the Hong Kong Rehabilitation Power, to be held at the Central Lawn of Victoria Park on 13 October 2012 (Saturday). This carnival aims to promote the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. The event will feature performances by artists with/without disabilities, sharing sessions hosted by persons with/without disabilities, and an Experience Zone providing opportunities for participants to experience the difficulties encountered by people with physical disability in daily life. Click on the link below for more details.
Details on the Rehab Power Day (in Chinese only)
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The EOC congratulates Ms Prudence Mak, the Founder and Creative Director of Chocolate Rain, and the EOC’s 2011/12 Career Challenge guest mentor, for winning this year’s Hong Kong Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award. Career Challenge is a youth mentorship programme which underlines the importance of breaking down stereotypes that often limit young people’s life choices. At her mentor’s sharing session at the EOC in January 2012, Prudence encouraged young people to pursue their dreams with passion: “you must reflect on the things around you and explore their real meanings, instead of following others unthinkingly.
The EOC is proud of our guest mentors’ achievements. Check out the links below to review the inspiring sharing with our mentors, and view the details about Career Challenge 2012/13:
View the sharing highlights of Prudence Mak and other Mentors of Career Challenge 2011/12
View details about Career Challenge 2012/13
Stay updated on the EOC's work and positions by referring to our press releases, speeches, media interviews, and calendar training on our website. Also, stay tuned on other equal opportunities issues and community initiatives by visiting our community resources and community events pages for information from our community partners, including publications, survey reports, publicity campaigns, and upcoming conferences.