Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa stressed yesterday that education reform is still at the top of the government's agenda and asked the public's patience to let the government to fulfil it.

"It needs time to reform the practices in the area of education that have been accumulating for many years," Tung said. "Improvement cannot been seen overnight."

Although it is a long-term programme, the government will carry it out, Tung said. More efforts will be taken to establish better a partnership with schools and other educational societies, parents and teachers, he said.

"The better the relationship, the more smoothly the education reform will go on," he noted.

Attending a youth forum entitled "Opportunity and Development" in the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Tung encouraged the young people to be confident and told them not to give up easily when confronting frustration in their lives.

Amidst the dynamic atmosphere created by more than 400 young people and social workers serving youth, Tung began his speech by sharing a personal experience with the young audience that diverged from his prepared speech.

The youngsters responded enthusiastically to the chief executive and other senior government officials. Their views will be collected and further explored in the Youth Summit in September, according to one of the initiators of the Commission on Youth.

The young people, especially those with low educational backgrounds, complained that they could not get jobs in today's society.

Some of them also complained that the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Project Springboard provided by the government was not efficient enough in helping them get jobs.

Tung said he hoped the young people would study more and gain their opportunities through their hard work.

"You should expand your scope from Hong Kong to the mainland, where is filled with great opportunities, and even to the whole world," Tung said.