Newsletter No. 415

Photos of Dr. Ella P.O. Chan in this issue by Keith Hiro 陳寶安博士 香港中文大學 專業進修學院院長 你做過教育、輔導和行政等工作，其間又不斷進 修，取得碩士和博士學位。工作家庭進修兼顧，有 何竅門？ 這正是我的論文題目呢。我做事非常專注，這有利於管理 時間，所以不常需要把工作帶回家。我也學會盡量有效的 管理自己的情緒，真的不行了，不會死撐，會先讓自己停下 來安靜反思。中大環境這麼優美，到外邊去散步十來分 鐘，回來後往往發現更有力量處理及面對挑戰。我的信仰 讓我懂得信任交託，接納自己的不足，主動尋求同事或家 人的支持。我家有定期聚會，各人談談近況，給自己打分 數，說說未來計劃，可以獲得很多支持及力量。最近一次分 享是在聖誕假期中，我與家人分享：轉換了新的工作環境， 萬事都要虛心的學習，但我會積極面對，盡力而為。 為專業進修學院策劃了甚麼發展大計？ 第一年是整固期，我會致力了解學院立足所據。所謂「大 計」仍在醞釀中，大方向是建立可持續的優質終身教育品 牌，為此，學院必須先有更明確的質素保證機制，更清晰的 問責意識，然後再一起訂定發展策略。我會依次為教學人 員、行政管理層和基層員工在退修會中交流，聆聽同事的 心聲，培養團結的精神，一起成長。 學院以哪些課程最為優勝？ 學院向以人文藝術文化課程著稱，還有其他如紀律部隊及 保安管理、醫療保健、營養學等課程也頗有代表性。語文 方面，日語和韓語都非常受歡迎。我們的韓語課程是唯一 在香港得到韓國官方機構世宗學堂認可的，現已由短期課 程辦至高級文憑，最近更希望加進商科元素，開辦韓語與 商學課程，發展至機構培訓。此外，我亦計劃與專業學會 合辦輔導及特殊教育的進修課程，適時回應社會需求。 學院在深圳的發展怎樣？ 深圳是人才的集散地，對持續教育大有需求。兩地對教育 的期望有點差異，那兒有各式各樣私營的持續教育機構， 收費廉宜，學員喜歡速達，而且要清楚知道修畢課程後所 達到的資歷水平。我們的收費相對不廉宜，資歷暫時只能 與香港掛鈎，所以如何推廣學歷課程至今還在探索中。去 年10月我們在中文大學深圳研究院的轉業進修中心開始啟 用，早在9月起已舉辦一系列多元化的免費進修增值講座， 好像傑出領袖元素、全球化與中國現代化，還有青少年生 涯規畫、企業人員國際禮儀形象等，打算試行兩年，加深當 地對持續教育的認知。長遠而言，香港的師資及教育理念 在內地仍有吸引的地方。學院期盼能配合大學深圳分校的 發展再作進一步的計劃。 持續教育除了輔助事業發展還有甚麼功能？ 終身學習與事業發展不可分割，香港人尤其現實，緊張考 核和資歷認可。持續教育除了有助事業發展，還能擴闊視 野和提升生活質素。例如有長者參加「生態旅遊」課程，四 周去觀鳥、看蜻蜓、蝴蝶，他並不需要一張證書來求職，但 他的見識廣了，朋友網絡大了，生活豐盛了，情感上不需要 過分依賴後輩，他和家人也因此而更快樂。我最希望學員 多點享受學習的過程，開拓自我實現的空間。 公餘有何興趣？ 我的興趣很多，仍在不斷發掘及培養新的興趣。我喜歡看 書，小說、化妝、旅遊、時裝、食療……，樣樣都看一點。最 近我買了一本教人怎樣打圍巾的的書，依樣畫葫蘆，果真打 出漂亮的樣式來呢。這些雜樣知識有時也帶來開辦新課程 的靈感呢！ Over these years, you have earned you master’s and doctoral degrees while working in the fields of education, counselling and administration. What tricks do you have in juggling work, family and study? That’s exactly the theme of my thesis. Well, I’m a highly focused person which is good for time management. I seldom need to bring my work home. I have learnt how to manage my emotions effectively. I won’t force myself to take on anything beyond my capacity. Sometimes I would take a short break. A 10-minute stroll on the beautiful campus will empower me to face the challenge back in the office. My religion also teaches me how to commit myself unto God, to accept my inadequacy and humbly seek help from colleagues and family. We have regular family meetings at home for everyone to review what they have been doing and to talk about their plans. I gain tremendous support and strength from that. In a recent sharing session during Christmas, I told my family I had to learn everything anew in the new environment, but I would take it positively and try my best. What plans do you have for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCS)? My first year here will be for consolidation. I will start with a thorough understanding of where the school stands. The ultimate goal is to brand SCS as the provider of quality sustainable lifelong education. Towards this end, the school must install a robust quality assurance mechanism and cultivate better awareness of accountability and responsibility before indentifying development strategies or any ‘big plans’. I will organize retreats for academic, administrative and minor staff in turn to exchange views with them, listen to them and build team spirit. What are the flagship programmes of SCS? We are renowned for our art and cultural programmes. Others such as disciplinary forces and security management, medicine and health care, and nutrition are also unique. Both our Japanese and Korean courses are outstanding. Our Korean language courses, up to the high diploma level, are the only ones in Hong Kong endorsed officially by the Korean King Sejong Institute. We may offer a new course in business Korean for corporate training. To promptly answer the needs of society, I also plan to co-organize guidance and special education programmes with professional bodies. How is the school’s development in Shenzhen? There is a huge demand for continuing education in a place like Shenzhen where people of different talents come and go. Hong Kong and Shenzhen differ in their expectations of education. There are various private continuing education organizations charging very low fees. People there look for fast track qualification upgrade. Unfortunately, we are more expensive and can only offer qualifications accredited in Hong Kong. So we need to explore how to promote our award-bearing programmes. The Continuing and Professional Education Centre at the Shenzhen Research Institute opened in October 2012. It started to give free talks in September on leadership, globalization and modernization in China, career planning for adolescents, and international protocol and etiquette for corporate staff, etc. We aim at enhancing the locals’ understanding of continuing education through these talks within two years. In the long run, we will leverage on two Hong Kong factors which are still attractive on the mainland—quality of teachers and ideology of education. In our further planning, SCS also hopes to complement the development of the University’s Shenzhen Campus. What other roles can continuing education play, other than aiding career development? Lifelong education is closely tied to career development. People in Hong Kong are practical. Assessment and qualifications are their prime concerns, but that is not what continuing education is all about. It can make you see more, live better. Look at the seniors who enrolled on ecology tourism. They set out to watch the birds, dragonflies and butterflies. Do they need a certificate to look for jobs? No. But their exposure is widened, their networks expanded and lives enriched. They don’t have to be emotionally over-dependent on their next generation and that makes them and their families happier. I sincerely hope that course participants will enjoy the process of learning more, and embark on a journey of self-actualization. What do you like to do after work? I have a lot of interests, and am still identifying and developing new ones. I like to read fiction, books on makeup, fashion, food therapy—a bit of everything. I just bought a book on scarf tying. And it works beautifully. Assorted knowledge sometimes gives me inspiration for new courses. 請掃描QR碼閱讀全文版 Scan the QR code for the full version Dr. Ella P.O. Chan Director, School of Continuing and Professional Studies 10 No. 415, 4.4.2013