News
Year Planner for Mainland Exchange Programmes for Students (2024/25 school year)
Summary
This circular memorandum aims to provide schools with the “Year Planner for Mainland Exchange Programmes (MEPs) for Students” in the 2024/25 school year so as to support schools in planning and proactively encouraging students to participate in MEPs. Starting from the 2024/25 school year, schools will be informed of the latest information via the “Fast Information Transmission System - School Messaging Module” (SMM).
Details
Mainland exchange programmes and study tours for students form an important part of national education. In line with our country’s latest development and school curriculum, the Education Bureau (EDB) has been organising MEPs with diverse themes and subsidising those organised by schools. This enables primary and secondary students to gain first-hand experience of our country’s development from multiple perspectives, deepen what they have learnt in class, enhance their understanding of our country, and strengthen their sense of national identity.
The EDB has reserved adequate places for all students in publicly‑funded schools to participate in at least one subsidised MEP each in their primary and secondary stages under the Mainland Exchange Programme for Junior Secondary and Upper Primary Students and the Mainland Exchange Programme for Secondary School Students, as well as Junior Secondary and Upper Primary School Students Exchange Programme Subsidy Scheme: “Understanding Our Motherland” and Senior Secondary School StudentsExchange Programme Subvention Scheme, etc. Schools should proactively arrange students to participate in MEPs and make a backup of relevant information for reference in planning MEPs.
To facilitate schools’ planning of MEPs and study tours that tie in with the content of curriculum, the Year Planner for MEPs for Students (2024/25 school year) (Chinese version only) is provided in the Appendix. Over the years, MEPs organised and subsidised by the EDB have covered 22 provinces, four municipalities and four autonomous regions, including Guangdong Province, Sichuan Province, Shaanxi Province, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, etc., with such themes as culture, history, economy, geography, sports, music, arts and education. MEPs have been welcomed and well received by schools and parents. Moreover, in line with promote patriotic education, “red resources” will be heightened in the itineraries for the new school year, including visits to historical sites, museums, thematic memorial halls, etc., to enhance students’ understanding of the revolutionary stories and struggles of revolutionary predecessors, thereby nurturing their national spirit.
The EDB will update the “Year Planner for MEPs for Students” from time to time. For the latest information on MEPs for students, please visit the “Passing on the Torch” website (https://www.passontorch.org.hk/en/index.html). Schools may also download various reference materials from the website, including “Points to Note for Schools in Planning Mainland Exchange Activities for Students” (Chinese version only), useful tips, and materials shared by teachers and students (Chinese version only).
Starting from the 2024/25 school year, schools will receive the latest information, including itineraries, departure dates and application details of MEPs for students via the SMM. During the transitional period, the EDB will continue to issue individual Circular Memoranda on MEPs and adjust relevant arrangements based on actual circumstances.
In addition, starting from 10 July 2024, non-Chinese citizens who are permanent residents of Hong Kong may apply for the “Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Permanent Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens)” from the China Travel Service Entry Permit Service Hong Kong Limited. Schools should remind eligible students to complete the application procedures soon so that they can use the E-channels at ports of entry for immigration clearance and need not fill in the Arrival Card when entering the Mainland, thus enhancing clearance efficiency. For details, please refer to the respective webpage (https://www.ctshk.com/mep/zh/nrep_notice_mep/).
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact the Life-wide Learning and Mainland Exchange Section 2 of the EDB on 2892 6545 or 2892 6594. For more information about MEPs, please visit the “Passing on the Torch” website (https://www.passontorch.org.hk/en/index.html).
For further details of the Scheme, please refer to the Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 175/2024. (Download)