SED to visit France
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, will begin her visit to France tomorrow (September 10, France time). She will visit Lyon, Toulouse and Paris.
Dr Choi will attend WorldSkills Lyon 2024 organised by WorldSkills International. This year, Hong Kong will send its largest-ever delegation to the event to participate in over 30 competitions. Apart from giving her support to the delegation in person, Dr Choi will attend the WorldSkills Conference and speak at a panel discussion to promote vocational and professional education and training in Hong Kong.
In addition, Dr Choi will attend the European Association for International Education Conference and Exhibition in Toulouse to promote Hong Kong's unique competitive edge as an international higher education hub, and visit the Hong Kong Pavilion set up by the Heads of Universities Committee Standing Committee on Internationalisation to support the work of the eight University Grants Committee-funded universities in attracting more overseas students to study in Hong Kong.
During her tour, Dr Choi will visit Paris and call on international organisations. She will also visit research institutes and universities, as well as exchange views with Hong Kong youths studying or working in France.
Dr Choi will conclude her visit and return to Hong Kong on September 19 (France time). During her absence, the Under Secretary for Education, Mr Sze Chun-fai, will be the Acting Secretary for Education.
C&WDO receives report of loss of hirer data by facility management services contractor of Sai Ying Pun Community Complex
The Central and Western District Office (C&WDO) received a report of the loss of hirer data by a facility management services contractor today (September 16).
The C&WDO has engaged a facility management services contractor, Synergis Facility Management Limited (the Contractor), to assist in managing the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall (the Community Hall) and handling the booking applications for use of the Community Hall and its facility from September 2022 to August 2025.
The Contractor reported to the C&WDO this morning that a staff member of the Contractor, who is responsible for handling the booking applications for use of the Community Hall and its facility, had lost a portable device (USB) during work on September 14. The device contains the name of organisation, date and time of the event, name and contact number of the contact person for 306 applicants. The data involved does not include any identity card number or other personal identifiers.
Upon receiving the report, the C&WDO promptly requested and accompanied the Contractor to report the incident to the Police and reported the matter to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data this afternoon. The C&WDO is contacting all the affected applicants to offer apologies and explain the incident. Meanwhile, a hotline (2852 3735) has been set up for persons affected to make enquiries. The C&WDO has also immediately suspended the Contractor from handling the booking applications for use of the Community Hall and its facility. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) has also informed the Property Management Services Authority to take appropriate follow-up action as the Contractor has failed to handle personal data properly as a licensed property management company.
The C&WDO sincerely apologises to the persons affected for any inconvenience caused and will follow up seriously to prevent reoccurrence of similar incidents . The C&WDO strongly condemns the Contractor concerned for the incident and has required the Contractor to submit a detailed report and take all necessary measures to prevent further leakage of the data involved. The HAD will not allow the Contractor to bid any other projects of the HAD until it has taken satisfactory measures.
Source: AI-generated images
