中文版

  1. Visit to the EOC by Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs

SCMA and EOC StaffThe unsteady weather these days has no doubt caused hiccups to schedules and itineraries. But we are delighted that it has not affected those of our special guests. On 6 September, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Mr Patrick NIP Tak-kuen, accompanied by senior officials of the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB), visited the EOC office. As well as receiving a briefing from EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN and senior management on the work plan and initiatives of the EOC, Mr Nip also toured around the EOC office and talked to staff members of different divisions and ranks, hearing from them their daily work experiences.

The EOC has been liaising regularly with CMAB, its policy bureau and focal point of contact within the Government. The visit by the Secretary will certainly foster further exchange between the Commission and the Bureau on its work towards eliminating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities for all.

Read the Government’s media release on the visit

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  1. Call for applications for Youth Challenge

Youth Challenge bannerA new school year has begun! Coinciding with the commencement of the school term, we have launched the 2017/18 Youth Challenge programme. This year, the programme will take the form of mentors’ sharing sessions. Participants can get the chance to meet some of our community’s outstanding leaders and figures, namely:

• Mr Jeffrey ANDREWS, the first registered social worker of Indian origin in Hong Kong;
• Ms CHAN Yuen-ting, Football Manager of Eastern Sports Club Football Team;
• Ms Ada TSANG Yin-hung, conqueror of Mount Everest; and
• Mr WANG Kai-fung, Founder & Executive Director of the Hong Kong Sign Language Association.

As well as hearing first-hand from the mentors how they overcame various barriers and challenges to meet their goals, participants will also have the opportunity to visit NGO The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong.

More details about the programme are available on the Youth Challenge Facebook page. Interested students can apply through their school or on their own. The application deadline is 31 October 2017. Act now!
 

Apply to join the 2017/18 Youth Challenge programme
Visit the Youth Challenge Facebook page

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  1. New EO Documentaries Online Learning Kit for Liberal Studies teachers

EOC Video Re-charting My Destiny-EngThe Liberal Studies (LS) subject in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) is intended to encourage young people to pay attention to what is happening around the world and sharpen their critical thinking skills. Where issues of equality and discrimination are increasingly gaining concern among community members, especially the civic society, they certainly make good discussion topics in LS classes.

To provide teachers with some ideas on where to begin the discussion, we have recently developed the “EO Documentaries Online Learning Kit”. Available in Chinese and English, the learning kit features documentaries produced by the EOC that examined various dimensions and perspectives of equal opportunities. Based on the topic and content of each video, we have come up with suggested discussion topics and class activities, which teachers can adapt or use directly to facilitate class discussion and students’ reflection on the importance and profound meaning of equality to human society.

The learning kit has been emailed to secondary schools across the territory. It has also been uploaded onto the EOC’s website where teachers and students can find further information on the anti-discrimination law and other useful resources on the topic.
 

Read the learning kit on the EOC website
Watch the documentaries on EOC’s YouTube channel

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  1. Kindergartens urged to embrace diversity and inclusion in student admission

Children of different ethnicitiesEducation is not a privilege but a human right. To realise this right, positive steps must be taken to ensure that education is available and accessible to all, including the marginalised. As the application process for kindergarten admission in the 2018-19 school year gets underway, the EOC has issued a reminder to kindergartens, urging them to adhere to the principles of diversity and inclusion when processing applications from non-Chinese students.

The reminder, in the form of a media statement, was issued amid repeated claims of difficulties from non-Chinese parents in finding suitable kindergarten places for their children. To avoid possible discrimination against non-ethnic Chinese students and hence violation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO), kindergartens are advised to refrain from using race or language as the ground for rejecting an application. Other steps include providing school information in English other than Chinese, and using alternative ways of assessing non-ethnic Chinese applicants’ abilities rather than conducting interviews in Cantonese.  Kindergartens may also contact the EOC to clarify if their policies are consistent with the provisions of the RDO.
 

Read the media statement
Read the EOC’s booklet “Promotion of Racial Integration and Prevention of Racial Discrimination in Schools”

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Visit our website or download the EOC mobile app (Apple App Store / Google Play) to stay updated on the EOC’s work and positions, and to review our press releases and calendar training. 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.