Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Hoey Simon Lee and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 22):
Question: (1) “Check-in Smart (HKDSE)”: to allow candidates to check examination information and perform self check-in before the examination; (2) “i-Invigilation (HKDSE)”: for invigilators to verify the candidates’ identities, confirm attendance, and count the answer scripts collected; and (3) “Centre Supervisor Control Panel”: to enable centre supervisors to monitor the examination operations, confirm the candidates’ attendance and answer scripts collected, handle irregularities and communicate with the HKEAA Command Centre. Prior to the commencement of the 2024 HKDSE, the HKEAA has developed contingency measures in the event of any issues with the PESS2. If the system is unable to function properly, examination personnel should handle the candidates’ attendance and the checking of answer scripts manually using paper forms. These paper forms were delivered to centre schools with other examination stationery in mid-March. The details of these contingency measures were outlined in the Centre Supervisor’s Handbook and explained to examination personnel during the PESS2 Briefing Session and the Centre Supervisors’ Conferences held in February and March 2024 respectively.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ9: Student Activities Support Fund The Government established in early 2019 a $2.5 billion Student Activities Support Fund (the Fund) to support primary and secondary students with financial needs to participate in school-organised or recognised out-of-classroom life-wide learning activities, so as to foster their whole-person development. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the annual and cumulative (i) amounts of revenue and expenditure of and (ii) numbers of school and student beneficiaries as well as activities organised (together with the types and natures of the activities) under the Fund since its establishment;
(2) whether there are schools which have never or scarcely applied for subsidy under the Fund; if so, whether the authorities know the reasons for that, and whether assistance has been provided to such schools to ensure that all students with financial needs are given the opportunity to participate in life-wide learning activities;
(3) as it is reported that situations such as low birth rate, decline in the number of school-age children and the addiction of many students to online activities arise in Hong Kong, whether the authorities will encourage schools to make use of the subsidy granted under the Fund to organise more life-wide learning activities conducted in groups and physical settings;
(4) whether the authorities have received complaints on or identified problems in the operation of the Fund since its establishment; if so, of the follow-up actions; and
(5) whether the authorities have assessed if the operation of the Fund since its establishment can achieve its intended objectives; whether a comprehensive review of the overall operation of the Fund will be conducted in the light of the experience gained in the operation of the Fund, feedback of stakeholders, development of society, changes in students’ needs, etc.?
Reply:
President,
The Education Bureau (EDB) has been providing resources for schools to organise a wide range of learning activities and schools may deploy such resources flexibly to support student learning and offer after-school student activities to foster students’ whole-person development. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the EDB has been providing a recurrent Life-wide Learning Grant (LWL Grant) with an annual provision of about $900 million to support public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools in taking forward life-wide learning based on the present foundation. The LWL Grant aims to help students develop lifelong learning capabilities and foster their whole-person development through the knowledge, skills and positive values and attitudes acquired in experiential learning. At the same time, the Government set up the Student Activities Support Fund (SAS Fund) in 2018-19 with an allocation of $2.5 billion, and the investment return of the SAS Fund has been used to provide the Student Activities Support Grant (SAS Grant) for public sector and DSS schools to support students with financial needs to participate in out-of-classroom life-wide learning activities organised or recognised by schools. While the SAS Grant is supplementary in nature, schools should make good use of the LWL Grant and the SAS Grant, having regard to their own development contexts and students’ needs.
Our consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Tony Tse is as follows:
(1) and (2) The SAS Grant has been available for schools’ application since the 2019/20 school year. The amount to be disbursed to a school is calculated based on the number of students of the school in receipt of the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) or the full-grant under the School Textbook Assistance Scheme (STAS full-grant) in that school year (based on the number in December of the school year). The rate for each primary student is $350 and that for each secondary student is $650. Noting that some families may be in need of support but are not in receipt of the CSSA or STAS full-grant for various reasons, so besides providing support for students receiving the CSSA or STAS full-grant, schools are given the flexibility to, at their discretion, deploy up to 25 per cent of the total provision of the SAS Grant for the school year to support students who are identified as needy according to the school-based criteria (e.g. students receiving the STAS half-grant) to participate in out-of-classroom experiential learning activities. Since the 2019/20 school year, nearly 95 per cent of schools have applied for the SAS Grant. For the schools which have not submitted any application, the main reason is that their numbers of students with financial needs are relatively small and they have flexibly deployed the LWL Grant and other resources to support student learning.
From the 2019/20 to 2023/24 school years, the incomes and expenditures of the SAS Fund, the numbers of beneficiary schools and the numbers of students are set out in the table below:
School year($ million)($ million)(Provisional figures)(Estimate)# Due to the epidemic, life-wide learning activities were generally reduced during the suspension of face-to-face classes. Consequently, the usage rates of the SAS Grant were lower than expected and the numbers of school applications were also slightly affected.
ecretary, Ministry of Cooperation attends signing of MoU between Ministry of Cooperation and Swiggy Instamart for onboarding of the Cooperative Dairy and other products Cooperative societies will also be able to connect with new customers by using technology
Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy
Swiggy will work with the Ministry to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building
Dedicated “Cooperative” category will be created on Swiggy’s platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, & handicrafts
Under the leadership of PM Modi and the able guidance of Union Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah, Ministry of Cooperation has taken more than 60 initiatives for Cooperatives
Posted On: 26 APR 2025 4:07PM by PIB Delhi
Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation, Dr. Ashish Kumar Bhutani attended the signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Cooperation and Swiggy Instamart for onboarding of the Cooperative Dairy and other products onto the online marketplace. The MoU was signed between the CEO, Swiggy Instamart Shri Amitesh Jha and the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Cooperation Shri D K Verma on Friday 25 April 2025. The signing of MoU will facilitate cooperatives to connect to new age customers through new age technologies.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the able guidance of Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah Ministry of Cooperation has taken more than 60 initiatives to strengthen the cooperative sector of the country. The Ministry has recently taken many initiatives to provide access to market to the cooperative produce including the organic produce from the cooperative sector. After the MoU, the products under Bharat Organics and other cooperative dairy products will now be available on e-commerce and q-commerce platforms of Swiggy.
The MoU aims to strengthen the cooperative movement in India by leveraging Swiggy’s digital platform and outreach. The partnership will encourage the onboarding of cooperative dairy products on Swiggy’s Instamart platform and provide support for preferred access, ensuring greater visibility and reach for cooperative entities. Swiggy will work with the Ministry to support cooperative brands in the areas of marketing, promotion, consumer technology, and capacity building. A dedicated “Cooperative” category will be created on Swiggy’s platform, with a focus on products such as organics, dairy, millets, handicrafts, and others that are developed and promoted by cooperative organisations. This collaboration will facilitate cooperatives in connecting with new-age consumers through new-age technology, thereby expanding their digital footprint and enhancing their market presence.
In view of the United Nations’ declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Cooperation, Swiggy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Cooperation, will engage in an awareness campaign to promote cooperative movements, organisations, and products across the country.
On 24 April 2025 Secretary Cooperation Dr Ashish Kumar Bhutani had inaugurated of the state-of-the-art packaging facility of National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) in Noida, Uttar Pradesh which is dedicated to the packaging of pulses and a wide range of organic food products ensuring high standards of hygiene and quality.
The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu attended the funeral Mass of His Holiness Pope Francis at Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City today (April 26, 2025). Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri George Kurian and Deputy Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly, Shri Joshua De Souza, who are part of the official Indian delegation, also attended the ceremony.
Regional Power Conference with North Eastern States Government establishments including Government colonies, should be prioritised for pre-paid smart metering : Shri Manohar Lal
Posted On: 26 APR 2025 4:14PM by PIB Delhi
The Regional Conference of the Power Sector was held on 26th April in Gangtok in presence of Shri Prem Singh Tamang, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim and Shri Manohar Lal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs.
The meeting was also attended by Shri Ratan Lal Nath ( Minister of Power, Tripura), Shri. A T Mondal ( Minister of Power, Meghalaya), Shri. F. Rodingliana ( Minister of Power, Mizoram), Shri. Jikke Tako, MLA cum Advisor Power (Arunachal Pradesh), and Shri. Sanjeet Kharel ( MLA cum Advisor, Sikkim). The meeting saw the participation of the Union Power Secretary, Secretaries, (Power/ Energy) of participating States, CMDs of Central and State Power Utilities, and senior officers from the Ministry of Power.
Hon’ble Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal in his address underlined the importance of a future-ready, modern, and financially viable power sector to fuel the country’s growth on its journey towards becoming a developed nation.
He emphasized the importance of power in achieving the goal of Viksit Bharat. He further remarked that the regional conference would help in identifying specific challenges and solutions in respect of power sector of the North Eastern States.
He mentioned that despite the minor gap of 0.1% in meeting current power requirements, efforts must continue to meet future demands. Since 2014, power generation has increased significantly, and various modes of generation, including thermal, hydro, atomic, and renewable energy, must be advanced. Addressing environmental concerns and moving towards non-fossil power is essential for achieving the Target of Net Zero Emissions.
He mentioned that through Government schemes like RDSS and PM-JANMAN, difficulties in the distribution sector are being addressed, and left-out households are being electrified. The Minister highlighted that the distribution sector faces challenges due to poor tariff structures, suboptimal billing and collection, and delayed payments of Government department dues and subsidies. It is essential to reduce the AT&C losses and the gap between Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realised, to ensure that the distribution sector becomes viable. To achieve that, it is essential that the tariffs are cost-reflective.
He also emphasised upon the execution of works under RDSS, including Smart Metering Works, would go a long way in improving the operational losses of the utilities. He also emphasised that the Government establishments including Government colonies, should be prioritised for pre-paid smart metering.
He mentioned that States should work towards ensuring energy security and given the Hydro-Power potential, including Pumped-Storage, in the North Eastern region, the States should make efforts to effectively utilize that potential.
Secretary (Power), Government of India (GoI) highlighted the need for capital infusion to meet growing power demands and drive future reforms and modernization. It was mentioned that, given the long gestation period for power projects, it is crucial to tie up for necessary power requirement as per the resource adequacy plan for upto FY2030 at the earliest. Further, it is also imperative to make necessary arrangements for intra-state transmission capacities as per the resource adequacy plan through various available financing models viz. Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB), Regulated Tariff Mechanism (RTM), budgetary support or monetization of existing assets. The Secretary also impressed upon the planning to be done by the States for meeting summer power demand through necessary tie ups.
Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sikkim in his address welcomed the guests and highlighted the key steps taken by the State towards improving the quality and reliability of power supply across the State. He also highlighted the proposed plan of the State for further improving the power sector. He also requested for interventions from GoI on various issues concerning the State.
The participating States thanked the Hon’ble Union Minister for the importance given to the North Eastern Region and also requested for continuous support of GoI for further strengthening the power infrastructure in the region.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs detects three dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected drug worth about $19 million In the first case, through risk assessment, Customs on April 24 inspected an air cargo consignment, declared as LED lights, arriving in Hong Kong from the United States at HKIA. Upon inspection, Customs officers found a total of about 55kg of suspected cannabis buds concealed in 23 packing boxes in the consignment. After a follow-up investigation, Customs officer conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday (April 25) in Tsuen Wan and arrested a 58-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman. After that, Customs officers further arrested two men aged 27 and 26 in Yau Tong and further seized about 200g of other suspected cannabis drugs and a batch of packing tools from the vehicle they were travelling in. The first two arrestees have been released on bailing pending further investigation, and the last two arrestees had been jointly charged with two counts of attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug. They will appear at the Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
In the second case, Hong Kong Customs conducted a joint operation with the Mainland Customs yesterday and inspected an express parcel, which was declared as coconut oil, arriving in Hong Kong from Thailand via Shenzhen at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point based on intelligence analysis. After examination, about 2kg of suspected liquid etomidate with an estimated market value of about $2 million were found concealed inside 4 bottles. After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation in San Po Kong on the same day and arrested two men, aged 14 and 24, suspected to be connected with the case. The two arrestees have been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and the 24-year-old arrestee with one additional count of resisting a member of the Customs and Excise Service, they will appear at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
In the third case, Hong Kong Customs today detected one drug trafficking case involving a passenger at HKIA and seized about 7kg of suspected heroin, with an estimated market value of about $5 million.
A 22-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected heroin inside his check-in suitcase. He was subsequently arrested. The arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on April 28.
Customs will continue to enhance enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary returns. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hkIssued at HKT 21:50
Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meeting held under Brazil’s Presidency in Brasília on 25th April 2025. The meeting, convened under the slogan “Strengthening the Cooperation of the Global South for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance”, culminated in the adoption of a forward-looking declaration addressing two pivotal themes: “Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Future of Work” and “The Impacts of Climate Change on the World of Work and a Just Transition”.
Sushri Karandlaje highlighted India’s human-centric approach to technological transformation, aligning with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of “Technology for Empowerment, Not Exclusion”. She highlighted India’s National Strategy for AI, which prioritizes ethical adoption, workforce upskilling, and sectoral applications in agriculture, healthcare, and education. Initiatives like FutureSkills Prime and the Namo Drone Didi program exemplify India’s commitment to creating tech-enabled livelihoods, especially for rural women and youth. The National Career Service (NCS) platform, powered by AI, was showcased as a model for bridging skill gaps and connecting millions to employment opportunities.
On climate action, India emphasized it’s just transition framework, ensuring green growth translates into equitable job creation. The Sector Skill Council for Green Jobs (SSCGJ) and Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) were highlighted as transformative initiatives driving skilling and sustainable practices. India’s achievement of reduction in GHG emissions (2020–2019) and its net-zero by 2070 pledge reinforced its climate leadership. Collaborative efforts with the ILO to protect workers’ rights during this transition were also emphasized.
Key Outcomes of the BRICS Declaration
The declaration commits BRICS nations to:
Promote inclusive AI policies that balance innovation with worker protection.
Advance social dialogue to ensure fair climate transitions.
Strengthen South-South cooperation on labour governance, digital inclusion, and green job creation.
India’s contributions were commended for aligning cutting-edge technological advancement with inclusive social welfare, reflecting Hon’ble Prime Minister’s mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”. The meeting reaffirmed BRICS’ collective resolve to build a future where no worker is left behind in the face of AI-driven disruption or climate challenges.
In a first and a unique milestone for the Armed Forces, the Department of Ophthalmology in Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi has performed the minimally invasive glaucoma surgery using 3D Microscope. This three-dimensional visualisation system is very useful for eye surgeries, including treatment for squint, cataract, corneal, glaucoma and retinal issues.
This system utilises special 3D polarisation glasses, and a 55-inch 4K ultra-HD display. Potential advantages include significantly lesser surgical time/complication rate compared to conventional microscope, decreased power of endoilluminator, reduced photo-toxicity, ease of use in uncommon and complicated situations and high surgeon and nurse satisfaction scores.
This initiative is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the Indian Army in ensuring top-tier medical services reach to our clientele at the apex institutes. This facility aims to offer cutting-edge eye care services, enhancing the hospital’s capabilities in treating a wide range of ocular conditions.
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, proudly participated in the 15th edition of the Rozgar Mela held today across 47 locations nationwide. The event, addressed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi via videoconferencing, saw the distribution of over 51,000 appointment letters to newly inducted youth in various government departments, including EPFO.
As part of this significant recruitment drive, EPFO welcomes new recruits to strengthen its workforce, ensuring efficient delivery of social security services to millions of subscribers across India. Appointment Letters to 345 Accounts Officers/ Enforcement Officers and 631 Social Security Assistants were issued today.
The newly appointed personnel will contribute to EPFO’s mission of providing provident fund, pension, and insurance benefits, supporting the government’s vision of a robust and inclusive economy.
EPFO has established Recruitment vertical in Head Office to ensure regular recruitments and developed a recruitment calendar complying with directions of Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.
During last one year, EPFO has recruited 159 Assistant Provident Fund Commissioners, 84 Junior Translation Officers, 28 Stenographers, 2674 SSAs among others. Further recruitment of APFCs, EO/AO, PAs and ASOs are underway.
The Rozgar Mela aligns with the Prime Minister’s commitment to prioritizing employment generation and empowering youth for nation-building. EPFO’s participation underscores its dedication to transparent and merit-based recruitment, leveraging modernized processes to enhance service delivery.
The new recruits will have access to training through the iGOT Karmayogi platform, besides formal training enabling them to upskill and excel in their roles.
EPFO extends its congratulations to all appointees and reaffirms its resolve to foster a future-ready workforce that drives India’s social security framework towards greater heights.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ1: Mental health of primary and secondary school students Question:
Last year, the number of suspected student suicide cases reported to the Education Bureau (EDB) by primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong remained high and even hit a record high in the past five years. In addition, self-administered questionnaires were collected from 330 000 primary and secondary school students attending the Student Health Service Centres of the Department of Health in the 2022-2023 school year, with results indicating that 1.3 per cent of the students had attempted suicide in the past 12 months. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as the Government implemented a Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism in all secondary schools in Hong Kong in December last year to address the problem of student suicide, how the EDB assists schools in identifying at an early stage students with mental health needs, and of the number of referral cases received so far by the off-campus support network team and the follow-up situations; whether it has assessed the effectiveness of these two tiers under the mechanism;
(2) of the number of students with severe mental health needs who were referred by school principals under the aforesaid mechanism to receive psychiatric specialist services of the Hospital Authority in the past six months, and the follow-up situations of such cases; and
(3) given the EDB’s call for active participation from primary and secondary schools in the 4Rs Mental Health Charter to be launched in the next school year to enhance students’ mental health, of the number and percentage of schools signing up for joining the charter before the deadline last month?
Reply:
President,
Nurturing students with proper values and a positive attitude has all along been the objective of education, and “leading a healthy lifestyle” is one of the goals of school curriculum. The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to the physical and psychological well-being of students. Through cross-departmental and cross-sectoral collaboration with the Health Bureau (HHB), Department of Health (DH), Social Welfare Department (SWD), Hong Kong Police Force and other non-government organisations (NGOs), we work together to provide support for schools, students and parents. With the efforts of all parties, we can build a more robust safety net for students.
In consultation with the HHB and SWD, my consolidated reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Tik Chi-yuen is as follows:
(1) and (2) In view of the upward trend of suspected student suicide cases in 2023, the Government has implemented the Three-Tier School-based Emergency Mechanism (the Three-Tier Mechanism) in all secondary schools in Hong Kong from December 2023 to December 2024 through the cross-departmental collaboration of the EDB, HHB and SWD so as to provide support for students with higher risk as early as possible.
Under the Three-Tier Mechanism, schools will give priority to caring for and counselling students with higher risk and will provide timely assistance and seek professional counselling or treatment services for them through the school’s interdisciplinary team in the first-tier. The EDB urges school personnel to refer to A Resource Handbook for Schools: Detecting, Supporting and Making Referral for Students with Suicidal Behaviours published by the EDB to preliminarily identify the more vulnerable students and pay attention to whether they have displayed related warning signs. If necessary, schools may arrange students with higher risk to conduct a preliminary mental health screening by using screening tools, such as Self-test Station: Depressive Mood from the DH and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) from “Shall We Talk”. The interdisciplinary team in schools, which consists of guidance masters/mistresses, guidance personnel, school social workers and school-based educational psychologists, will prioritise and launch follow-up services for students with higher risk. School personnel are recommended to refer to the Guidelines on How Schools can Help Students with Mental Health Problems published by the EDB to provide support to students as soon as possible. In order to strengthen school personnel’s early identification of and support for students with suicidal tendencies, apart from providing guidelines and a 60-hour thematic course on “gatekeeper” training for teachers every year, the EDB also organised online “gatekeeper” training courses for primary and secondary schools in December 2023. About 1 000 school personnel enrolled for the online training course. In addition, the EDB organised more than 40 additional training courses and workshops early this year, with an enhanced focus on enriching school personnel’s knowledge and skills in caring for students with mental health needs. The courses benefited about 2 200 school personnel.
In the second-tier of the mechanism, if the schools consider that they need to seek extra support subsequent to the identification and school-based intervention in the first-tier mechanism, they may seek assistance from the off-campus support network (support network) co-ordinated by the SWD. The SWD has engaged five NGOs to form the support network to provide extra support to schools. Upon receiving referrals, the support network team would contact the students concerned as soon as possible and arrange follow-up services, including emergency intervention services covering assessments, support and counselling through individual, group or online format; and would also refer the students to other services such as the Integrated Family Services, the Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness and the Integrated Children and Youth Services Centre according to their individual needs. As of March 2024, the support network team has received a total of 69 referral cases. Besides, the EDB has also collaborated with the SWD to arrange the support network team to visit about 150 secondary schools to organise mental health activities since February this year, with a view to enhancing students’ awareness of mental health, as well as strengthening their adaptability and awareness of help-seeking.
In the third-tier of the mechanism, school principals may refer students with severe mental health needs to the psychiatric specialist services of the Hospital Authority (HA). After triage and screening, the HA will accord priority to students in urgent cases. Furthermore, the HA has set up a telephone consultation hotline specifically to provide professional advice for school principals. As of March 2024, the HA’s psychiatric specialist services received a total of 168 referrals and 75 telephone enquiries from school principals through the Three-Tier Mechanism. Among the referred cases, around 3 per cent were Priority 1 (urgent) category, while about 40 per cent were Priority 2 (semi-urgent) category. The remaining cases were either Routine (stable) or were already being followed up by the HA’s psychiatric specialist services.
Based on our understanding and communication with schools, with the concerted efforts of schools and various stakeholders, school personnel’s awareness on students’ mental health has enhanced in general, being able to early identify and support students with higher risk. The operations of the second-tier and third-tier of the Mechanism are smooth, providing timely and appropriate counselling and treatment to students in need. The Government will closely monitor the operation of the Three-Tier Mechanism and engage a consultant to evaluate its effectiveness.
(3) The EDB launched the 4Rs Mental Health Charter (4Rs Charter) in April this year and invited all public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools in Hong Kong to join. The 4Rs cover four important elements in fostering students’ mental health, namely Rest, Relaxation, Relationship and Resilience. We hope that the stakeholders’ awareness on mental health will be enhanced and they will work together and take actions through the promotion of 4Rs Charter. Schools participating in the 4Rs Charter are required to set practical and feasible goals and take concrete actions to promote students’ physical and psychological well-being. Schools joining the 4Rs Charter must also pledge to join the Mental Health Workplace Charter, which is jointly implemented by the DH, the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council, as well as the Whole School Health Programme launched by the DH, so as to carry on with their school-based health promotion efforts in a more comprehensive and effective manner. The EDB has also been engaging NGOs as partner organisations of the 4Rs Charter to provide schools with additional services, activities and courses to enhance students’ health. As of May 31 2024, a total of 340 primary and secondary schools have applied to join the 4Rs Charter, accounting for 34 per cent of all public sector schools and DSS schools in Hong Kong. We will continue to encourage more schools to join the 4Rs Charter, so as to cultivate a healthy environment that is conducive to students’ growth.
The EDB will continue to work with various stakeholders to promote mental health in a more comprehensive manner, jointly establish a support network and create a caring culture, so as to promote students’ physical and psychological well-being. Issued at HKT 15:34