Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, awardees,
In line with the Hong Kong SAR Government’s policy of promoting bilingualism, I will first address the audience in Cantonese, followed by English.
各位嘉宾、各位校长、各位老师、各位同学、各位获奖者：
我很高兴出席香港特别行政区政府奖学基金及自资专上教育基金联合举办的2022/23学年奖学金颁奖典礼。这次是我们经过三年疫情后首次复办的实体颁奖典礼，印证了香港已经走上全面复常之路。
2. 香港特别行政区政府奖学基金及自资专上教育基金分别于2008年及2011年成立，目的是表扬在不同方面有卓越表现的本地学生，同时吸引更多优秀的非本地学生来港就学，提升香港作为区域教育枢纽的地位，以及推动香港的蓬勃发展。两个奖学金推出至今，已经有超过9万4千位同学获奖，涉及奖学金总额约19亿9千万元，而今个学年的受惠学生接近5 500多位，我在此衷心祝贺各位得奖同学和他们所代表的院校。
3. 一直以来，政府锐意发展优质教育，通过推动公帑资助和自资专上教育界别相辅相成的发展，为学生成长成才提供宝贵机会。两个奖学金计划正好彰显政府在培育人才发展方面的承担和努力。各位得奖同学，我衷心希望这个奖项除了为你们的履历增添亮点之外，更会勉励你们继续致力成为德才兼备、爱国爱港爱家爱社会、有识见、有承担、持守正面价值观、抱积极人生态度，以及具世界视野的终身学习者和社会的贡献者。
4. 高等教育是人才的摇篮，启发青年的潜能，增强香港的发展动能。放眼未来，政府会继续投放大量资源促进高等教育的发展，并壮大人才库，其中包括增加教资会资助大学的研究生学额及优化各项吸引非本地学生来港就学和发展的措施。我们的目标是培育人才，特别是为了香港成为八个重点领域的发展中心（「八大中心」），包括金融、贸易、航运、航空、创新科技、中外文化艺术交流、国际法律及争议解决服务，以及区域知识产权贸易中心。
5. 政府亦致力支持自资专上教育界别的发展，与公帑资助的学校相辅相成，为香港培育更多元人才。为善用自资专上教育界别灵活、多元的特点，政府一直推行多项措施，以及为学生增设很多不同的资助计划，通过自资专上院校为有迫切人力需求的行业培育高质素的人才。当中，政府在《2022年施政报告》中公布，会扩大现行的「指定专业／界别课程资助计划」，简称SSSDP，为修读自资衔接学位课程的学生提供资助；并会积极研究与自资界别合作推出更多应用学位课程，加强职业专才教育在专上程度的定位，以完善职专进阶路径，为青年人提供更多元学习和就业机会。
6. 在此，我要特别感谢香港特别行政区政府奖学基金督导委员会、自资专上教育委员会辖下的支援措施小组委员会和两项基金的投资委员会主席和各委员，你们实在劳苦功高。同时，我亦感谢各参与的大专院校。多得大家的努力，让两个奖学金的各奖项得以顺利推展。
7. 「青年兴，则香港兴；青年发展，则香港发展；青年有未来，则香港有未来」。各位得奖的同学，你们就是未来的领袖，我鼓励你们在不同的学术或非学术领域继续追求卓越，利用香港背靠祖国、联通世界得天独厚的优势，好好装备自己并勇于作出多元发展，为国家和香港、为全世界的发展作出贡献。
8. For those non-Cantonese speaking students who are with us today, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all of you. It gives me great pleasure to be here today at the Joint Scholarship Presentation Ceremony for the 2022/23 academic year, particularly when this is the first physical ceremony after a three-year prolonged disruption during the pandemic.
9. May I extend my warmest congratulations to about 5 500 awardees under the two Funds this year. In particular, I would like to congratulate our non-local awardees on your excellent performance. As guests of Hong Kong, I hope you all find studying in Hong Kong a fruitful experience. We hope you will treasure Hong Kong as a home away from home. Hong Kong also treasures your presence. We encourage you to stay in Hong Kong to pursue your studies and career after graduation, as Hong Kong is a place full of opportunities for talents like you. As an international city in a fast-developing region, Hong Kong is indeed full of opportunities. We are pressing full steam ahead to develop the “eight centres” under the national strategies. Our priority is to reinforce our position as an international financial centre, and promote the development of two emerging industries, namely innovation and technology as well as arts and culture. At the same time, we will continue to play our role as an international trade centre and fully capitalise on our shipping and aviation development to enhance our functions in the regional supply chain. We will also continue to enhance our strengths in legal services and develop Hong Kong into a regional intellectual property trading centre. The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, or GBA in short, has enhanced the interconnectivity and integrated development among all the GBA cities. So we welcome you to explore your opportunies in Hong Kong.
10. Hong Kong is indeed a very attractive place. It is within five hours’ flight from half the world's population. It is one of the few Asian metropolis where you can enjoy the four seasons of the year, immerse yourselves in the hustle and bustle of an urbanised environment and then hop on public transport to reach some of the world’s finest hiking trails and beaches within an hour. You can see and feel the vibrancy and diversity in food and culture. Hong Kong is a wonderful place for you to explore. Hong Kongers like me, who are born and raised in Hong Kong, love this place. I hope for those non-local students and also our guests from afar will also find Hong Kong an attractive place to stay and to visit again and again.
11. Finally, may I once again commend all awardees this year for your perseverance and accomplishment. I also wish you every success in your future endeavours. Thank you.
