Establishment of the Civil Service College marks new milestone for civil service training and development (with photos/video)
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The Civil Service College of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was established today (December 9), marking a new milestone for training and development for the civil service.
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, officiated at the establishment ceremony. Addressing the ceremony, she expressed gratitude to the staunch support from the Central Government and its offices in the HKSAR for the establishment of the Civil Service College. In expressing her expectations for the enhancements in civil service training by the College, Mrs Lam said that she would look to the College to strengthen training on the relationship between the HKSAR and the Central Authorities under the principle of “one country, two systems”, the Constitution, the Basic Law and the Hong Kong National Security Law, so as to reinforce civil servants’ self-awareness of safeguarding national security; assist civil servants to better understand the country and its development; provide colleagues with more training opportunities on positive values and attitude; and cultivate the civil service as a team which is innovative and effective in communication. She said that as Hong Kong is embracing a new era and a new paradigm, she hopes that the civil service can display confidence and sustain professionalism in delivering services, and that civil servants be proactive in taking forward their work and be united in leading Hong Kong to a better future.
The Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, Mr Zhang Xiaoming, gave a video speech at the establishment ceremony, expressing the Central Government’s support for the establishment of the Civil Service College and the importance attached to civil service training in the HKSAR. Mr Zhang said that the College should strive to nurture civil servants in their sense of patriotism, affection for the community, global horizons and strategic thinking. The civil service plays a critical role in achieving good administration and governance for Hong Kong, and the Civil Service College carries an important mission on this front. The HKMAO would continue to provide strong support and assistance to Hong Kong in leveraging resources in the Mainland for civil service training.
Other officiating guests at the establishment ceremony included Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Mr Chen Dong; the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR, Mr Liu Guangyuan; Deputy Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Mr Li Jiangzhou; the Director of the Political Work Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, Major General Sun Jushun; the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip; the Chairman of the Civil Service Training Advisory Board, Dr Victor Fung; the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mrs Rita Lau; and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung.
Partner institutions of the HKSAR Government in civil service training also sent congratulatory messages on video for the establishment of the Civil Service College, including the Chinese Academy of Governance, the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Tsinghua University, Peking University, the Civil Service College Singapore, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Ivey Business School Asia.
Addressing the ceremony, Dr Fung said that the civil service was very important to effective governance. He was honoured to serve as the Chairman of the Advisory Board, and work together with other members from the community to advise on the civil service training programme, development strategy, and the preparations for establishing the Civil Service College.
Mr Nip, said that the establishment of the Civil Service College had profound significance to the HKSAR Government in enhancing the effectiveness of governance. He said at the ceremony, “The Civil Service College will further enhance training for civil servants in terms of both quality and quantity, deepen civil servants’ understanding of the country’s development and the HKSAR’s constitutional order, strengthen training in leadership development and innovation and technology application, and broaden their international horizons and global outlook.”
Mr Nip stressed that, “By establishing the Civil Service College, we look forward to nurturing more talents in governance for the accurate and full implementation of the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, promote with full steam Hong Kong’s integration into the national development, and work together to build a better future for Hong Kong.”
The College’s establishment ceremony took place in the North Point Government Offices. The third to fifth floor of the premises were formerly the premises of the Civil Service Training and Development Institute and, with training facilities having been renovated and enhanced, will serve as the interim accommodation of the Civil Service College. The construction of the long-term accommodation of the College will be taken forward as part of the Kwun Tong Composite Development Project. The construction works of the project are expected to commence next year and be completed by phases beginning from the end of 2026. The new premises will allow the College to deliver better, more flexible and diversified training services, in a more effective manner. At the establishment ceremony, the Director of Architectural Services, Ms Winnie Ho, also introduced the design of the long-term accommodation of the College.
The Chief Executive proposed to establish a civil service college in the 2017 Policy Address as a major undertaking of the HKSAR Government in enhancing training for civil servants on various fronts. The Government set up the Civil Service Training Advisory Board in November 2019 to give guidance on training programmes for the civil service and its long-term development strategy, and to prepare for the development of the college.
Meanwhile, the Civil Service Bureau is conducting a recruitment exercise for the Head of the College, with a view to appointing a suitable candidate to the post in the first half of 2022. Pending the appointment of a suitable candidate to the post, the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service will double down as the Head of the College.
Nov 20, 2021 | Business
Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minster of Civil Aviation has called for cooperation and support of all stakeholders, particularly States and UTs, in strengthening the Civil Aviation sector. Addressing the Conference of the ministers of Civil Aviation from States and UTs here today, Shri Scindia said that the sector contributes significantly to the economic development of the country but is probably the worst sufferer due to pandemic. He said that with the collective efforts, we can work for providing better passenger facilities, and strive for the sector’s expansion and decentralization. Assuring the States and UTs of full support from the centre, the Minister said that your success will lead to our success.

Shri Scindia said that the Government does not work in silos, and the Whole-of-the-Government approach has helped the Ministry tackle the Covid-19 effectively, and convert the crisis into an opportunity. The domestic aviation sector suffered a lot during the period. The Government set up 9 advisory groups, covering a wide array of sub-sectors like Airlines, Airports, MROs, Flying Training Schools, cargoes, Ground handlers, Aircraft manufacturing, and their meetings have been yielding good results.
The Minister appealed to the States and UTs to bring down VAT on aviation fuel as it contributes majorly to the operational cost of the flights. He thanked a number of them who have drastically cut the rates, saying that they have gained larger air traffic movement within a short period of the reduction. He said that the sector has large cost-benefit ratio and also huge employment potential. Shri Scindia also called upon them to facilitate new airports by swiftly handling the land allotment issues. He said that the Ministry will be doubling the Airports and taking the number to 200 plus by the year 2023-24. The Minister emphasised on setting up at least one heliport in each district in collaboration with States/UTs. On the issue of seaplanes, the Minister said that the States should provide Capital support for this initiative.

On the issue of drones, Shri Scindia said that it is Prime Minister’s vision to have a leadership role for the country in the sector, and rules have been framed for promoting it. Production Linked Initiative in the sector will provide further push. Similarly, new initiatives have been taken in the sectors of MRO, Flying Training Organizations, Last Mile Connectivity, Cargo handling, Krishi Udaan, so that the bottlenecks are removed, and the sector gains the growth and pre-eminence.
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar and Minister of State for Civil Aviation Gen (Dr) V K Singh (Retd) also addressed the inaugural session. A booklet “Access: The Photo Digest-Demystifying accessibility in civil Aviation” was released, with the aim of creating awareness about accessibility needs and corresponding travel related facilities for Divyangjans. This handbook provides a simple at-a-glance understanding of the subject of accessibility in airports being made available through sketches and a photograph-based reference book. It compiles photographs from 63 international and domestic airports across India. These photographs demonstrate the 10 basic features of accessibility along with additional special features of accessibility provided at airports that pertain to the civil aviation sector. The photographs assembled and presented on Airports would help in demystifying accessibility for the purpose of it being provided in the public infrastructure and services in the overall endeavour to make India universally accessible and inclusive for all.

During the launch, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar acknowledged the efforts made by MoCA for making provisions of accessibility, not just in airport buildings but also in the air travel services, which prove helpful for Divyangjan as well as for the elderly, pregnant women, people with temporary disability owing to an accident or surgery. He emphasized on the need for end to end accessibility from information dissemination to services provided and accessible infrastructure for moving towards the goal of accessible and inclusive society.
Various State Ministers and senior functionaries participated in the discussions on the sector, and deliberated on the issues threadbare. Secretary, Civil Aviation Shri Rajiv Bansal and senior officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation and states and UTs were among those present on the occasion.
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YB/DNS
(Release ID: 1773246)
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