Organised by the Education Bureau (Applicable to Primary and Secondary Schools)
Mainland Exchange Programme for Secondary School Students (2023/24)
Summary
This circular memorandum invites secondary schools (including special schools) to nominate Secondary 3 to 6 students and teachers (including principals) to participate in the captioned programme.
Details
2. The Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address set out that more opportunities be provided for students to participate in the Mainland study tours, subject to the resumption of quarantine‑free travel. The targets include participating in at least one subsidised Mainland exchange programme each in their primary and secondary stages under the Mainland Exchange Programme for Junior Secondary and Upper Primary Students and Mainland Exchange Programme for Secondary School Students for all students in publicly‑funded schools.
3. The Education Bureau (EDB) will resume the Mainland Exchange Programme for Secondary School Students (the Programme) in the 2023/24 school year. In line with the school curriculum, the Programme aims to provide different learning experiences for students to deepen their understanding of the history, culture, technological and economic development, etc. of the Mainland (including Shanghai, Hunan, Hubei and Fujian).
4. EDB has commissioned service providers to organise four tours ranging from four to five days between September 2023 and August 2024 for Secondary 3 to 6 students to join. Please refer to Annex 1 (Chinese version only) for details of the Programme and application procedures, and Annex 2 (Chinese version only) for the itineraries and other information of the four tours.
5. Schools may apply for more than one tour in the 2023/24 school year. Student participation is on a voluntary basis. Schools should proactively encourage students who have not participated in any Mainland exchange programmes before, in particular those at Secondary 3, to join the Programme, with a view to increasing their understanding of the country and deepening what they have learned in line with the school curriculum (such as history, geography, technology and conservation).
6. Schools intending to nominate students and teachers to participate in the Programme may download the application form from the website of respective service providers from 1 September 2023. The completed application form should be returned to respective service provider by fax within the specified period of time (refer to Annex 2 (Chinese version only)) before the planned departure date of the tour.
Enquiries
7. For enquiries about the enrolment and itineraries, please contact respective service provider. For general enquiries about the Programme, please contact the Students Mainland Exchange Programme Section of EDB on 2892 6429 or 2892 5730. For more information about the Mainland exchange programmes for students, please visit the “Passing on the Torch” website.
For further details of the Scheme, please refer to the Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 133/2023. (download)