Media

Play education is essential in building children’s social competence, particularly in their early years of education. It is also a policy objective of the Education Bureau to encourage more free play sessions in kindergartens.

The Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project is a play education programme funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and implemented by the Centre for Advancement in Inclusive and Special Education (CAISE) in the Faculty of Education of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The 3-year project aims to provide kindergarten teachers and parents of school children (K2 and K3) with professional training and practical skills on game education, so that games can be integrated into daily teaching and children can apply the social skills they learnt through play during free play time.

The programme launched in September 2018 in six kindergartens with workshops held for teachers and parents has generated very satisfactory results. The Project will be further extended to cover more local kindergartens, and to family and community settings so as to develop a pool of parents, teachers and significant others to be change agents. An online platform will be established to share resources on “good games”, which should be fun, safe and respectful to others when playing.

A launching ceremony will be held on May 22 (Wednesday) at HKU with Mrs. Ingrid Yeung, Permanent Secretary for Education, Education Bureau, HKSAR; and Ms. Winnie YING, Head of Charities (Grant Making – Youth, Education & Training, Poverty), The Hong Kong Jockey Club as officiating guests.

A media interview session will be arranged after the ceremony where Dr. Sylvia Liu, Project Director of the Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project, Faculty of Education, HKU, and schools’ representatives and parents will share their experience. A “Game Gallery” at the venue will showcase some interactive “good games”.

Details are as follows:
Date: 22 May 2019 (Wed)
Time:
1:30pm Media registration
2pm Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project launching ceremony
3pm Media Interview session
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU, Pokfulam Road, H.K (map)
Language: Cantonese

Officiating Guests:

• Mrs. Ingrid YEUNG, JP, Permanent Secretary for Education, Education Bureau, HKSAR;
• Ms. Winnie YING, Head of Charities (Grant Making – Youth, Education & Training, Poverty), The Hong Kong Jockey Club;

Guests:

• Prof. ZHANG LiFang, Head of Learning Development Diversity Division, Faculty of Education, HKU;
• Prof. Nirmala RAO, Project Advisor of the Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project, Serena H.C. Yang Professor in Early Childhood Development and Education, HKU;
• Dr. Mantak YUEN, Principal Investigator of the Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project and Centre Director, Associate Professor of the Faculty of Education, HKU;
• Dr. Sylvia LIU, Project Director of the Jockey Club “Play n Gain” Project, Faculty of Education, HKU; and
• ten participating schools and parents who have joined the training program of the project

For media enquiries, please contact Ms. Virginia Cheung, Administration Manager at 3917 5828 / vcvc@hku.hk.