Special Reading Initiatives
The Education Bureau has over the years introduced a series of initiatives to boost literacy standards in Hong Kong. Promoting the use of reading as a vehicle of learning and as a source of pleasure have been significant goals of recent curriculum reforms. “Reading to Learn,” a school development project, was launched to help primary schools improve the teaching of reading and develop school-based strategies for cultivating a reading culture in classrooms; and Book Works, a reading website for students, has been publicly promoted.52 Seminars and training programs have been conducted strategically in an attempt to widen the use of children’s books in schools. Further, to encourage students to make full use of the resources available in Hong Kong public libraries and develop reading as a lifelong habit, the Library Cards for All School Children program has been jointly organized by the Education Bureau and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.53,54 Generous funding from the Quality Education Fund has specifically been allocated to encourage schools to experiment with reading projects and initiatives.