EdUHK Crowdfunds Teaching Kit in Promotion of Students’ Life Values

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In collaboration with the Egive For You Charity Foundation, The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has received HK$300,000 in support from the Foundation’s fundraising e-platform for a life education curriculum planning and teaching kit that will facilitate students’ positive life energy.

Developed in the soon to be completed first phase of the ‘Companions’ programme, the teaching kit was launched today (13 June) at EdUHK’s Tai Po Campus, with the event and a concomitant teacher development day attracting over 100 educators and participants from various sectors. Advocated and implemented by the Centre for Religious and Spirituality Education (CRSE) at EdUHK, the Companions programme emphasises life education curriculum planning based on relations experienced in the transcendental, communal, material/environmental and personal domains. The programme’s title also shows that educators walk and grow together with students as their companions in life.

During the launch ceremony, Professor Stephen Cheung Yan-leung, President of EdUHK, expressed gratitude for the Foundation’s support, stating that “although our society is now plentiful in materials and wealth, there are still some youngsters who consider their life confused, negative and even full of adversity. As its President, I think EdUHK’s should shoulder the responsibility to take the initiative in uniting with educators and the public with a view to cheering up our children and addressing the issue.” Professor Cheung also stated that the teaching kit developed in the programme is designed to cater to needs related to secondary students’ personal growth, with the aim of achieving mutual benefit for teachers and students, and to be a teaching resource that can fit into local education contexts.

Professor John Lee Chi-kin, Director of CRSE, commented that life education is actively fostered in neighboring places such as mainland China and Taiwan. Compared with the situations in its counterparts, the development of life education in Hong Kong is still at an early stage. Professor Lee said that “besides learning from international cases, we should also reflect upon how we can adopt elements so that the life education can fit into local contexts as well as education needs”.

Officiating at the ceremony, Dr Cho Kwai-chee, Founder and Chairman of the Egive For You Charity Foundation, pledged his full support for promoting the teaching kit among the senior primary students and their parents. Mr Kevin Cho Kwai-yee, Co-founder and Director of the Egive For You Charity Foundation, indicated that the Foundation will continue supporting the programme over the second and third phases through its e-platform. Mr Cho said, “We will develop short films based on real life stories, and promote them through the Internet and social media. With lively promotion vehicles appealing to youngsters, we hope that the message of life education can be spread to students of different ages through different media platforms”.

So far, five partner schools have undergone teaching kit trails and participated in simulation activities for the first phase of the programme, which has benefited over 500 students. Most of students indicated that the teaching kit and simulation activities could stimulate reflection on their own life, and enhance their life energy. A voluntary workers group comprising parents and other stakeholders will also be established at a later stage by the Foundation and EdUHK to foster the development of life education.