Speech by Permanent Secretary for Education at The Opening Session of 20th Hong Kong Parliamentary Debating Society Summer Workshop and Tournament 2024

Mr Michael NGAI, Professor Reggie KWAN, Mr LOKE Wing Fatt, Dr Brian WONG, distinguished guests, students, ladies and gentlemen,

    Good morning.  It gives me great pleasure to be here today at the 20th Hong Kong Parliamentary Debating Society Summer Workshop and Tournament 2024.  My appreciation goes to the Hong Kong Finance Association, Hong Kong Parliamentary Debating Society and Hong Kong Metropolitan University for jointly organising this wonderful event.  This is indeed an unparalleled opportunity for young debaters from around the world to gather here, to learn from top debaters and from one another, and most importantly to foster people-to-people bond.  May I extend a very warm welcome to all those students, trainers and experts who come to Hong Kong from near and afar.

    Hong Kong is privileged to host this annual Workshop and Tournament for the past two decades.  Hong Kong, as an international cosmopolitan with global connectivity and strong support from our nation, has the distinctive advantage and aspiration to develop as an international education hub.  Hong Kong also attaches great importance to education, which accounts for about one-fifth of Government’s recurrent budget.  Hong Kong remains firmly committed to nurturing biliterate and trilingual students who are conversant with Chinese and English.  Our openness, inclusiveness and diversity create a vibrant and favourable environment to support the global learning community.

    Today’s Summer Workshop and Tournament is a vivid example of high quality educational exchanges in Hong Kong.  It is also unique in many ways.  First, it has a sharp focus based on the UK Parliamentary Debating format.  Debate brings together the art of thinking, speaking, listening, learning and interpersonal dynamics.  Through debating, we hone our critical and analytical thinking skills; our abilities to think and argue from different perspectives; our abilities to broaden and deepen our knowledge; our abilities to synthesize, organise and articulate ideas clearly and cogently; our abilities to handle ourselves – our emotions and self-image, our pride and prejudice.  Debate is a combined test of our intellectual intelligence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence and adversity intelligence.  The process builds collaboration, fairness, team spirit and open-mindedness.  All the above competencies are key attributes for us to survive and thrive in the 21^st century.  Professor Kwan just now used an apt analogy between debate and the Olympic Games – which both require hard work, arduous training, perseverance, fair play, respect and resilience.

    Another key feature of today’s event is its focus on youth exchanges.  Young people are the future pillars of the humankind.  The world will prosper only when its young people thrive.  Experiences tell us that many talented debaters have later become leaders in different fields.  Dear young debaters, we hope you will not merely enjoy the intellectual discourse and the upgrading of your skills but also take this opportunity to cultivate a deeper appreciation of different cultures and build friendship.  The world is full of challenges that cannot be resolved through debates.  Sometimes, the situation may be worsened if we lock ourselves in a zero-sum game or win-lose paradigm.  You can make a difference in this world by fostering mutual respect despite differences, enhancing understanding of different cultures, building friendship around the world, and striving to build a community of shared future together.

    Dear young debaters, in the upcoming Workshop and Tournament, immerse yourselves in the intensive training courses by passionate trainers.  Apply what you have learned in the rounds of tournaments.  Seize the wonderful and eye-opening opportunity to learn from the devoted trainers and your fellow participants.  Take your debating talents to the next level.  Treasure the memorable experience.  Build friendship.  I wish you all a rewarding experience and an unforgettable summer.  To overseas debaters, it is our honour to receive you in Hong Kong, a city committed to developing into an international education hub and eager to attract talents of different backgrounds and fields from all over the world.   We warmly welcome you to come back again to explore the abundant opportunities of further studies and career pathways.

    In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for the joint organisers and all the trainers.  Your dedication to promoting debate and nurturing young debaters is commendable.  I wish the Workshop and Tournament a resounding success and everyone a fruitful summer.  Thank you.