The Government's Role and Organisation

The Secretary for Education and Manpower, who heads the Education and Manpower Bureau of the Government Secretariat, formulates and reviews education policy, secures funds in the government budget, and oversees the effective implementation of educational programmes.

    The Director of Education, who heads the Education Department, implements policies at the kindergarten, primary and secondary levels. The department's main responsibilities include the enforcement of the Education Ordinance; the provision and allocation of public sector school places; provision of education opportunities for children with special educational needs; development of school curricula; assurance of school education quality; monitoring of teaching standards; and support to schools with public funding and other facilities. The department also contributes to policy development and review.

ED/EMB Merger

To strengthen the link between the formulation and implementation of education policies, the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Education Department will merge from January 2003. The new organisation will retain the title of Education and Manpower Bureau. The Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower will assume the functions of the Director of Education.

Education Ordinance

School education services come under the Education Ordinance. School operators must comply with the provisions of the ordinance and the subsidiary legislation covering areas such as registration of schools, teachers and managers, health and safety requirements, fees and charges and teacher qualifications.

Vocational Training Council Ordinance

The Vocational Training Council Ordinance provides for the establishment, functions and management of the VTC, which is the main body responsible for vocational education and technical training. The VTC administers the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, the industrial training and development centres, the skills centres for persons with a disability and the provisions under the Apprenticeship Ordinance. Its membership comprises of representatives from the industry, commerce and service sectors, employee representatives and government officials.

Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance

The Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance covers institutions offering post-secondary courses. There are currently two approved post-secondary colleges registered under the ordinance, namely the Hong Kong Shue Yan College and the Caritas Francis Hsu College.

Non-local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance

The Non-local Higher and Professional Education (Regulation) Ordinance took effect in June 1997 to protect Hong Kong consumers by guarding against the marketing of substandard non-local courses conducted in Hong Kong.