Opening Speech by Mr K H Lau, Director of Information Technology Services at the Opening Ceremony of the "ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, Asia Regional Contest, Hong Kong, 2000" on 28 - 10 - 2000
Dr. Poucher, Professors, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
I am delighted to be here this afternoon to officiate at the Opening Ceremony of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, Asia Regional Contest, Hong Kong, 2000 (ACM/ICPC-HK2000). Hong Kong is very privileged to be the host city, for the first time, of this annual regional event. I wish to extend my warmest welcome to all of you, particularly to the participating teams.
In the Information Age of the 21st Century, we share the same goal to sharpen our future with advanced technology. Recognising that Information Technology is an important tool to maintain our competitiveness and to drive our future economic growth, the HKSAR Government has committed to developing Hong Kong into a leading digital city in the Information Age.
To achieve our goal, we have formulated and are implementing the "Digital 21" IT Strategy. It identifies four key enabling factors that we need to pursue. These factors are:
- high capacity telecommunications system;
- an open and common interface for secure electronic transactions;
- people who know how to use IT; and
- an environment that stimulates creativity and welcomes advances in the use of IT.
Hong Kong is already in possession of an advanced telecommunications network and a modern information infrastructure. But more fundamentally, we must have the right people who can bring our strengths and advantages together to make our vision come true.
The HKSAR Government is committed to promoting IT in education to equip our young people with the knowledge, the skills and the attitude to meet the challenges of the Information Age. On basic education, we have launched a five-year strategy on IT in education with a view to turning our schools into dynamic and innovative places of learning where our students can develop their capabilities to process information effectively and efficiently. Today, all our schools are already connected to the Internet and our teachers are undergoing IT training at different levels. We have also developed IT learning targets for students at different stages and are pleased to see them responding enthusiastically to the use of IT. Furthermore, in the recent policy address, we have pledged to provide funds to secondary schools to buy notebook computers for loan to needy students and to provide more multi-media facilities to schools to enhance teaching and learning with the use of IT.
Our universities and tertiary institutions have also endeavoured to ensure that all tertiary students are immersed in an IT environment. Almost one quarter of our full-time degree-level students are now studying IT and engineering related courses. All institutions have lecture facilities equipped with computers. Cyber classes are now an emerging trend in our tertiary institutions. Some institutions have also set up IT literacy benchmarks to ensure that their graduates will be competent in using IT.
On top of that, to increase the supply of IT practitioners, the HKSAR Government is also improving the IT training in vocational training by upgrading the IT infrastructure of our technical colleges and institutions. Courses in information systems and software engineering have also been strengthened to train up IT personnel with updated knowledge and skills.
Indeed, the rapid development of Information Technology has brought about fundamental changes in every aspect of our daily lives. In the Information Age, knowledge is our asset and tool, and innovation brings us opportunities. Apart from professional knowledge and communication skills, we need to be open-minded and able to see the wider picture of the changing world and keep pace with the advancement of technology.
The ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest not only provides an opportunity for university students to sharpen their problem-solving and computing skills, but also helps them to broaden their vision and build up their independent thinking ability. To this, I would like to thank ACM Hong Kong for granting the honour to my department to co-organise this meaningful event in Hong Kong.
Before I close, I would like to say a few words to all contestants here today. The Olympic Creed says "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well." I am sure that whatever the outcome will be, you are the winner if you have fought well.
Thank you.
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