MR CHAN KIN-POR (in Cantonese): President, quite a number of students are indulged in the Internet now. It is imaginable that they will certainly get fat sitting in front of the computer for hours and not having the time for exercising.
I would like to ask the Government what policies and measures are in place to make students understand the impropriety and consequences of their indulgence in the Internet and what it will do to make parents understand that it is their duty to urge their children to cut down on computer usage and do more exercises.
SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION (in Cantonese): I thank the Member for his supplementary question. This is an important issue. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to meet with the Chairman and members of the Committee on Home-School Co-operation for the 18 districts, and great concerns were expressed over the time spent by students on electronic games or the computer and also the related activities in which the students participated. Therefore, with regard to the stages of e-learning and students’ habits and patterns in using electronic game equipment, efforts have been made to address the problem at various levels.
Just now I mentioned e-learning, and I wish to particularly stress here that students should not just spend all the time using the computer instead of getting along with their schoolmates. This is one example. Second, during parent-teacher activities, we have stressed this point alike, and not only in primary and secondary schools, we have started working to this end in kindergartens too. Besides, in respect of the design of the entire curriculum, we have highlighted, for example, the need to avoid allocating one computer to one student during group activities in class, with a view to enhancing exchanges among the students. This aside, we also appreciate the need to arrange for other extra-curricular activities in order to compete with electronic games for students’ time. In this connection, more diversified extra-curricular activities have been organized in line with the interests and developments of students. This is also one of the strategies adopted to prevent students from immersing themselves in a certain activity.