SCOLAR promotes “lively learning and use of Putonghua” (with photo)
The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) organises eight school and community activities this year to promote "lively learning and use of Putonghua".
Speaking at the launching ceremony of SCOLAR's Promotion of Putonghua Activities 2009, SCOLAR Member Mr Hui Sau-yan described these activities as "providing an environment to learn and use Putonghua outside the textbook".
The activities include singing, public speaking, debating, radio drama and stage drama. To encourage more participation, SCOLAR appointed artiste Alex Fong as the Ambassador for Promotion of Putonghua 2009 to help in the publicity and to spread the message of "lively learning and use of Putonghua" to the community.
SCOLAR has been organising large-scale activities for students and the community since 2002 to promote Putonghua. This year's school-based activities include the Putonghua Radio Drama Training and Competition; the Inter-Varsity Putonghua Debating Competition for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau co-organised with RTHK; the Putonghua Singing Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools with the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union; the Putonghua Public Speaking Competition for Primary and Secondary Schools with the Cultural and Educational Association of the New Towns; the Putonghua Training Programme for Student Tourism Ambassadors with the Hong Kong Community College of Hong Kong Polytechnic University; and the School-based Putonghua Drama Training Programme with Prospects Theatre.
For the wider community, SCOLAR will co-organise the Putonghua Broadcaster Competition (for public and secondary school students) with RTHK. A radio programme introducing the Putonghua pronunciation of some terms commonly found in economic news will also be broadcast on Metro Radio. The series of activities will be wrapped up with a finale show which will bring this year's promotion to its climax.
For more details of the promotion of Putonghua activities in 2009, please visit the SCOLAR website (http://www.language-education.com).
Established in 1996, SCOLAR advises the Government on language education issues and the use of the Language Fund.
Caption
Members of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), Mr Stephen Chan (fourth from right) and Mr Hui Sau-yan (second from left), Ambassador for Promotion of Putonghua 2009 Mr Alex Fong (fourth from left), and representatives of Activity Organisers officiate at today's launching ceremony of SCOLAR's Promotion of Putonghua Activities 2009.