Young people of Hong Kong

In the past week, I attended several activities in which I had the opportunity to meet with different kinds of young people. Some of them are engrossed in science and technology, some had once given up on themselves, and some are academically outstanding.

Last Thursday, I attended the opening ceremony of the 30th China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest. This was the second time that Hong Kong has hosted this national event, which was previously held here in 1998. Among the contestants were students from 18 local secondary schools and teachers from three local secondary schools. After the ceremony, I briefly spent some time with two fresh graduates from Buddhist Fat Ho Memorial College and their principal and teachers at Government House. Both students had the experience of giving up on themselves until they entered this college, where they got their lives back on track and regained self-confidence and a positive outlook on life with the help of their teachers and schoolmates. Last Friday, I attended the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme Award Presentation Ceremony 2015. A new initiative announced in my 2014 Policy Address, the Scheme aims to support local students in pursuing further studies in world-renowned universities outside Hong Kong. Among this year's 78 awardees, 53 are going to pursue undergraduate studies and 25 postgraduate studies. The disciplines that they have chosen cover a wide spectrum, ranging from conventional ones such as natural and social sciences, liberal arts and literature, law, architecture and engineering to those currently not available in Hong Kong, such as veterinary medicine, forest science, classical study, art gallery study and medical robotics. This reflects the multifaceted nature of Hong Kong. I hope that, upon graduation, the awardees will bring their knowledge back to Hong Kong.

People are the most important assets of society. Although they have different ages and backgrounds, all these young people that I met are full of vitality and positive energy. In them, I saw Hong Kong's future, which I firmly believe is promising. The Government will keep up its efforts in implementing policies to create a better environment for our young people to unleash their potential.

August 23, 2015