Speech at the Final Performance of 2009 English Drama Festival Organised by The Association of English Medium Secondary Schools

Speech by Mr Raymond H C Wong, JP

Permanent Secretary for Education

at the Final Performance of 2009 English Drama Festival Organised by

The Association of English Medium Secondary Schools

on Saturday, 16 May 2009

Mrs Chan, teachers, students, ladies and gentlemen,

In this wonderful and enjoyable morning, I am very delighted to be here to share with you the joy and success of the 2009 English Drama Festival. 

To begin with, I would like to congratulate all the performers.  In our days, we seldom had the chance to act in a drama, not to mention to stage a play before such a large audience.  But this morning, there is such a great opportunity for the students to show their talents.  Let me thank the Association of English Medium Secondary Schools for their great effort in organising such a meaningful event. 

I believe all of you will agree with me that drama is a good way to learn English.   “Drama” is an ancient Greek word meaning “to act” or “to do”.  “Drama”, in an educational sense, is a way of “learning by doing”.  In preparing for a drama performance, we learn to speak with clear diction and appropriate intonation.  By playing the roles of different characters in different dramatic contexts, we are also more ready to communicate in English and explore the creative use of the language.  In other words, through exploring drama, our English learning experience is enriched and language abilities enhanced.

Dear boys and girls, thank you for giving us the chance to witness the power and magic of drama.  The stage we experienced was not a chance outcome: it was one on which you showed us how professional you could be after countless hours of rehearsal and hard work.  Here the magic was not created with fancy props and costumes, but your performance, confidence, creativity and, above all, your good command of English.

Let me express once again my deep appreciation to all the performers today for their hard work and achievement.  My hearty gratitude goes to all the teachers of the participating schools and members of the Association of English Medium Secondary Schools, who have been striving to enhance the learning and teaching of English in Hong Kong.  May I end with warm congratulations to all on making this Drama Festival a memorable event. Thank you.