HONG KONG 2004 - Education

A survey on 'The School Curriculum Reform and Implementation of Key Learning Area (KLA) Curricula in Schools 2003'¹ was conducted among frontline practitioners, to ascertain the progress of the curriculum reform. It revealed encouraging results:

In tandem with school-based assessment, Basic Competency Assessments (BCA) are being introduced from 2003 at key stages of learning for Chinese, English and Mathematics. Under the BCA, the Student Assessment and Territory-wide System Assessment help teachers better understand the learning needs of students as well as the areas requiring improvement, so that timely assistance can be provided to enhance their learning effectiveness.

The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) continued to introduce the computer-aided Student Assessment programme to all primary schools and to connect it to the supportive learning and teaching materials through the Internet. The service will cover secondary schools progressively. The Territory-wide System Assessment was first conducted at Primary 3 in 2004 and will extend to Primary 6 and Secondary 3 in the following years.

A wider range of approaches, such as more open-ended examination questions and school-based assessment to assess the different competencies of students will continue to be reflected in the assessment schemes for all senior secondary subjects in the coming years.

To help students recognise their roles and responsibilities as members of society and the nation, a national education programme was launched in Beijing to enrich Secondary 6 students' knowledge of the history, culture and contemporary situation of the motherland. Two courses held in July and December benefited 340 Secondary 6 students. Making use of the successful expedition of China's first manned spacecraft, a series of programmes were organised for students to enhance their understanding of the significance of the event, and to inspire their commitment to society and the nation. The celebration of the 55th National Day also provided students with various learning opportunities to strengthen their national identity, and the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) organised a variety of programmes from September to November for all the students of Hong Kong.

To provide an additional progression pathway for Secondary 5 students who do not wish to pursue the traditional senior secondary curriculum and sit for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), the EMB introduced, as a pilot scheme, the Yi Jin Secondary Schools Collaboration Project in 10 secondary schools in the 2004-05 school year. The scheme adopts the curriculum of Project Yi Jin which has been offered since the 2000-01 school year to secondary school leavers and adult learners. Students who can successfully complete the programme will be awarded a full certificate assessed by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) as comparable to five passes in the HKCEE for continuing education and employment purposes.

For appointment to principalship from the 2004-05 school year and thereafter, aspiring principals are required to attain the Certification for Principalship, which comprises a needs analysis, a preparatory course for principalship course and satisfactory completion of a professional development portfolio.

A new needs analysis package has been developed to help serving principals reflect on their professional development needs with close reference to the operating context of their schools.

A Principal Support Network has been set up under the School Based Professional Support Scheme to facilitate collegial sharing among principals. More than 20 experienced principals have been seconded to pair up with partner principals to work on school management and development issues that were of mutual interest or concern.

Following the issue of a document on Teacher Competencies Framework and Teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in November 2003, a three-year try-out period has been introduced for teachers and schools to experiment with the content, quantity, record-keeping and resources allocation of CPD. The Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications (ACTEQ) has set up a Steering Committee on Teachers' CPD to disseminate good practices and provide support to help schools develop school-based CPD policy, with emphasis on the quality and processes of CPD.

The Education (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2004 was introduced to raise the entry qualification requirement of kindergarten, primary and secondary school teachers and took effect from October 1, 2004. The provision allowing permitted teachers holding the minimum qualifications or an approved degree but without a recognised teacher training qualification to attain registered teacher status through accumulation of teaching experience has also been abolished.

Following an Institutional Review on The Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) conducted by the University Grants Committee in October 2003, the Government granted the institution self-accrediting status in May 2004.

The Education (Amendment) Bill 2002 was passed on July 8, 2004, enabling the school-based management governance framework to come into operation on January 1, 2005. Schools are required to establish an incorporated management committee consisting of all key stakeholders during a five-year period. The participation of key stakeholders in school governance will not only increase the transparency and accountability of school operation, but also provide a forum for better communication and exchange of views, leading to enhanced student learning outcome and continuous school improvement.

To provide financial support for worthwhile initiatives in basic education, the Government established the Quality Education Fund (QEF) in 1998 with an allocation of $5 billion. By year-end, the fund has made seven rounds of grants amounting to $3 billion for 5 250 projects, and closed its call for the eighth round with about 1 800 applications. The fund also promotes and disseminates good practices distilled from funded projects.

The first-ever Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence (ATE) was launched by the QEF in 2004 to recognise exemplary teaching practices and to foster a culture of excellence and collaboration among the teaching profession. A total of 44 teachers were selected for the award, and a further 85 the Certificate of Merit.

The Government has introduced a number of initiatives in recent years to promote lifelong learning. The $5 billion Continuing Education Fund provided as much as $10,000 subsidy for those between 18 to 60 to study any approved course. By December 2004, there were over 3 700 such courses, and more than 150 000 applications have been approved.

The $400 million Skills Upgrading Scheme covering twenty industries aims to provide targeted skills upgrading training to these elementary in-service workers, and the Government subsidises 70 per cent of the course fees. As at December 15, 2004, there were 5 178 classes and over 107 905 trainees have benefited from the scheme.

The Employees Retraining Board provides retraining programmes to assist workers to adjust to the changing job requirements in the labour market. Over 800 000 retrainees have benefited from the programmes, and over 100 000 training places were offered during the year. The average placement rate of full-time placement-tied courses was about 80 per cent.

The Executive Council approved the establishment of a seven-level cross-sectoral Qualifications Framework (QF) and its associated quality assurance mechanism in February 2004. The QF orders and supports qualifications of academic, vocational and continuing education.

Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs) have been set up to develop competency-based qualifications for the industries. So far, ITACs have been formed in six industries and more will come on stream.

The HKCAA was tasked with the responsibility of assuring the quality of qualifications recognised under the QF, other than those awarded by the self-accrediting institutions and their continuing education arms. The HKCAA is taking steps to reform its operating and financing models, as well as its accreditation criteria and procedures to prepare for its new responsibilities under the QF.

To strengthen the cooperation in education and facilitate the exchange of students between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Recognition of Academic Degrees in Higher Education was signed between the two on July 11, 2004.

Under the MoU, holders of degree at bachelor or above levels from recognised higher education institutions on the Mainland can apply for admission to studies at a higher level in Hong Kong, and vice versa.

The Government is strongly committed to implementing measures recommended by The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) to ensure that Hong Kong people, particularly students and working adults, become biliterate (in written Chinese and English) and trilingual (in Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English.)

From the 2004-05 school year, all new language teachers should be holders of a Bachelor of Education degree majoring in the relevant language subject or both, a first degree and a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate in Education majoring in that language subject.

To encourage serving language teachers to acquire the same professional qualifications, SCOLAR allocated $225 million from the Language Fund to run a Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme which provides subsidies to these teachers to pursue further studies in the relevant language subject(s) that they teach. As of December 2004, nearly 4 000 applications for grant were approved and $108.6 million has been earmarked for them.

EMB also worked with local institutions to provide approved post-graduate programmes in subject knowledge for language teachers. As of November 2004, about 1 100 teachers have subscribed to the programmes in English and about 1 350 in Chinese.

A Task Force on Language Support was set up in 2003 to assist panel chairpersons, curriculum leaders and teachers in schools in implementing the curriculum reform, and to acquaint them with the latest pedagogical knowledge and skills. In 2004, the task force continued to build on its strength to provide support to schools in different modes, including enlisting experienced teachers from the Mainland.

Meanwhile, the Government and SCOLAR continued to create a more motivating language learning environment for students and working adults through projects and events sponsored by the Language Fund, such as English language camps, the Reading Ambassador and Reading Contract project, the Putonghua Festival, the English in the Air project, and the Workplace English Campaign.