Appointments to SCOLAR announced
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (July 11) announced the reappointment of Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) for two years with effect from July 1, 2025.
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, "Under Dr Chan's outstanding leadership over the past four years, SCOLAR continues to collaborate with various stakeholders to organise and support a wide range of activities promoting biliteracy and trilingualism. These efforts are dedicated to enhancing local language strengths at various levels of the community, developing Hong Kong's language and talent capital, and creating a more conducive language learning environment for the community. "
The EDB also reappointed eight serving members and appointed four new members to SCOLAR, with their terms ending on June 30, 2027.
Dr Choi also thanked the outgoing members, Ms Joanne Fong Yee-man, Professor Anthony Fung Ying-him, Mr Armstrong Lee Hon-cheung, and Dr Tse Wai-lok, for their sterling service and contributions to the work of SCOLAR.
"The Government will continue to work closely with SCOLAR to create and cultivate an environment conducive to language learning, with a view to enhancing the public's biliterate and trilingual proficiency," she said.
The updated membership list of SCOLAR is as follows:
Chairperson
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Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen
Reappointed members
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Mr Kenny Chan Ngai-sang
Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay
Ms Cheung Shin-yee
Mrs Cindy Chow Lok Mei-ki
Mr Mohan Datwani
Professor Lo Yuen-yi
Mr Pang Chor-fu
Professor Zhu Xin-hua
Newly appointed members
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Ms Ip Wan-ting, Belinda
Ms Lam Chui-ling, Nancy
Mr Kenneth Ng King-tsun
Professor Tam Kar-yan
Ex-officio members
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Deputy Secretary for Education
Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council's Committee on Chinese Language Education
Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council's Committee on English Language Education
Chairperson of Curriculum Development Council's Committee on Early Childhood Education
Chairperson of the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals
Secretary-General of Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority or representative
SCOLAR was set up in 1996 to advise the Government on language education issues in general and on the use of the Language Fund.
Employers and employees should make reasonable work arrangements after tropical cyclones or rainstorms
The Labour Department (LD) today (June 6) reminded employers to make practical and reasonable work arrangements for employees after the cancellation of tropical cyclone warnings or rainstorm warnings, with due consideration to the road and traffic conditions and other factors, and make flexible arrangements for staff to resume work or work remotely (if applicable). This will help maintain good labour-management relations, and ensure the safety of employees as well as the smooth operation of organisations.
"For staff who have genuine difficulties in resuming work on time upon cancellation of a tropical cyclone or rainstorm warning, employers should be sympathetic and handle each case flexibly. For example, employers may allow employees to resume work in stages, permit employees who have difficulties in returning to workplaces to work remotely (if applicable) or allow more time for them to report for duty and resume work," an LD spokesman said.
The spokesman reminded employers to observe the statutory liabilities and requirements under the Employment Ordinance, Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Employees' Compensation Ordinance and Minimum Wage Ordinance.
"As natural calamities cannot be avoided, for employees who are not able to report for duty or resume duty on time due to adverse weather or extreme conditions, employers should neither deduct their wages, good attendance bonus or allowances, nor reduce employees' entitlement to annual leave, statutory holidays or rest days under the Employment Ordinance, or ask for additional hours of work from employees to compensate for the loss of working hours when they are unable to report for duty," the spokesman said.
Employers should note that they have an obligation to provide and maintain a safe working environment for their employees under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. Moreover, under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, employers are liable to pay compensation for injuries or deaths incurred when employees are travelling by a direct route from their residence to their workplace, or from their workplace back to their residence after work, four hours before or after working hours on a day when Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 8 or higher, a Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal or extreme conditions are in force.
The LD has published the "Code of Practice in Times of Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'", which provides the major principles, reference guidelines and information on relevant legislation on making work arrangements for the reference of employers and employees. The booklet can be obtained from branch offices of the Labour Relations Division or downloaded from the department's webpage (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/Rainstorm.pdf).
Source: AI-found images
