(......Continued)

The Chinese calligraphy 'To live with a vibrant and vivacious spirit' represents our heartfelt gratitude to Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd for supporting Project Aspire in offering learning support to children with Asperger Syndrome. Professor Morris and Mrs Angela W Y Cheung, JP present the calligraphy to Mr Albert Lee of the corporation.

We also offered training for Panel Chairpersons and Curriculum Leaders in Primary Schools with the support of EMB. Our Department of Social Sciences continued to offer in-service teacher training courses on Leadership and Management of the new General Studies curriculum. Our School of Languages in Education provided professional upgrading courses for Panel Chairpersons of English and Chinese. These programmes reinforce our school networks and partnerships and promote the development of new curriculum initiatives.

Another service which adds value to our community relations is the New Education Knowledge Alert Service (NEKAS). Here the sponsorship of the Tin Ka-ping Foundation enables us to provide a valuable service specifically designed for, and accessible free-of-charge to, education practitioners in Hong Kong. In November 2003, the service was further extended from Institute members to external schools, and is currently serving a total of 1,073 schools in Hong Kong.

Asperger Syndrome (AS) is a kind of pervasive developmental disorder affecting children's social and communication skills. In April 2004, with the generous support of Merrill Lynch (Asia Pacific) Ltd, the Institute established Project Aspire - an initiative to help local children affected by AS to integrate into mainstream schools. The children can make full use of the Project facilities and expertise and tap into the Project's network of external experts. Teaching staff and students of the Institute can also obtain first hand experience by volunteering to participate in the Project.

Our Students and the Community
We believe the involvement of our students in the wider community will enhance their concern for others while also developing their pastoral and caring skills as teachers. In a survey conducted among our final year degree students, we found that 79 percent of the respondents had engaged in some form of community service or activity during their time in the Institute. The findings also show a very encouraging increase in both student participation and the variety of service projects engaged in over the years. With this involvement and participation, our students are better able to take an active role in serving the public, especially the education community.

The opportunities we offer our students help to broaden their horizons beyond mere campus life. They help to build solid foundations for their whole-person development into the future. Apart from the necessary professional knowledge, this all-round training is essential in their journey to become caring and responsible quality teachers who possess the attributes that will best serve the long term development of Hong Kong and its people.