2016年2月29日 星期一

莎士比亞系列6:四大悲劇之Macbeth



1. 情節的起:

故事發生於11世紀的蘇格蘭。'Macbeth(馬克白)及Banquo(班戈)戰勝歸來,經過戰地旁的樹林時遇到3群女巫。女巫正確地稱呼馬克白為葛萊密斯領主(Thane of Glamis),並預言馬克白會成為考德的領主(Thane of Cawdor),及未來的蘇格蘭國王;Banquo雖
然不能當統治者,但他的後人會成為國王。女巫預言後隨即消失。

這個時候,國王Duncano<鄧肯>的信差抵達,宣布考德的領主因叛國被處死,國王頒令馬克白繼任。女巫的第一個預言應驗了。

在馬克白的城堡內,馬克白夫人讀著丈夫的來信,信中談到有關遇到女巫的事。她的野心勃勃,決定不惜一切要扶助丈夫登上王位。國王宣布他會在馬克白的城堡過夜。馬克白夫人慫恿她丈夫乘機弒君篡位。

國王及貴族成員到臨,國王入睡。馬克白在夫人的催逼下,殺死了國王。馬克白感到非常害怕,陷入失控狀態。馬克白夫人不齒馬克白的懦弱,冷靜地為事件善後,她將國王的血塗在熟睡中的守衛身上,並將兇刀留給他們,企圖嫁禍給守衛。

翌日,Macduff<麥德夫>揭發兇案。城堡內所有人,包括馬克白夫婦,這時候一同唱和,請求上帝為國王報仇。

2. 情節的承:

國王死後,女巫的第二個預言又應驗了:馬克白成為蘇格蘭國王。馬克白開始憂慮著Banquo的子孫會成為國王的預言。馬克白向他的夫人透露,為了穩坐王位,他決定於宴會上殺死Banquo及他的兒子。馬克白夫人著魔似地歡欣起舞.

在城堡外,一群殺手伺機刺殺前來赴宴的Banquo及其兒子。Banquo似乎意識到大禍將至。Banquo遇刺身亡,但他的兒子僥倖逃脫。

在地堡的殿堂上,馬克白迎接賓客。手下向馬克白報告Banquo已經被殺,當馬克白返回餐桌的時候,看到Banquo的冤魂正正坐在自己的坐位上。馬克白慌亂不已,陷入瘋狂。賓客以為國王瘋癲了,倉皇離開。

3. 情節的轉:

在一個黑洞內,一群女巫圍著一個大鍋。馬克白前來尋訪女巫,希望知道更多自己的命運。女巫施展魔法,給馬克白3個隱晦的警示:1)小心提防Macduff;2)任何由女人所生的男人都不能傷害馬克白;3)只在在勃南森林(Birnam Wood)向他移動時,他才會落敗。

這個時候,Banquo的冤魂及他的8個後代(8個未來的蘇格蘭國王)向他顯現,預示本來的預言將會應驗。恐怖的幻覺令馬克白驚慌倒地。

在城堡來,馬克白回復清醒,他和夫人決定剷取Macduff及Banquo的家族。

4. 情節的合:一群蘇格蘭難民在英國邊境悲歌國難。遠處是勃南森林。Macduff誓要報復暴君馬克白殺害他的妻兒。Macduff投奔Malcolm(國王Duncano的兒子)的英國軍隊,對抗馬克白。

Malcolm命令士兵在勃南森林折下一些樹枝作掩護,軍隊前進,看起來就像勃南森林逐步迫近。軍隊誓要從暴君的手中奪回蘇格蘭。

在馬克白的城堡內,醫師及僕人看見馬克白夫人夢遊,嘗試從手上洗去看不見的血跡。最後,馬克白夫人死於神智錯亂。

馬克白得悉軍隊已經迫近城堡,但他想到女巫的警示,仍然感到安心。當他接到夫人的死訊時,他顯得漠不關心。

他召集軍隊,並同時看到勃南森林已經抵達城堡之外。兩軍交戰,Macduff趕到和Macbeth決鬥,在殺死馬克白之前,Macduff告訴馬克白,他並不是自然地出生的,而是經剖腹從母體取出來的,印證了女巫的預言。

馬克白死後,Malcolm成為新的蘇格蘭國王。

5. 《麥克白》是莎士比亞戲劇中心理描寫的佳作。全劇彌漫著一種陰郁可怕的氣氛。莎士比亞通過對曾經屢建奇勳的英雄麥克白變成一個殘忍暴君的過程的描述,批判了野心對良知的侵蝕作用。

6. 在莎士比亞的悲劇中,《馬克白》則有些一反常態。它很短:比《奧賽羅》、《李爾王》短了近一千行,略多於《哈姆雷特》的一半。

7. 馬克白一個探詩的主題是性別特徵,直接啲講係探討咩係男子氣概. Lady Macbeth刺激佢老公去上位的方法,係問佢係咪一個男人, 即係男人就要心恨手辣, 甚至殺人.  但同時, 女人也是邪惡的,甚至比男人邪惡,因為Macbeth都係比佢教唆, 而且Macbeth又俾女巫慫恿, 挑起佢嘅野心. 可以話男人係暴力, 女人係邪惡. 

8. 莎士比亞寫這套劇係為擦當時的皇帝鞋. 當時英國的皇帝係蘇格蘭王James. Witch預言Banquo的後人會成為國王,其實即講緊James. 莎士比亞係根據蘇格蘭11世紀的歷史作藍本作故仔,但歷史上的Banquo其實跟Macbeth一樣係衰人, 莎翁為擦鞋,幫佢祖先漂白.

9. 究竟Macbeth係因為命運而衰(determinism,中世紀強調),定因為佢自己的tragic flaws(free will,文藝復興新觀念)? That is the question.

10. 戲劇探討了kingship的觀念。莎翁擦鞋對像King James認同Divine Rights of Kings,即皇帝係天命,不容挑戰,因此《馬克白》也是認同呢套,因為馬克白殺了Duncan,他自己最後也被殺。但究竟你點知邊個係天命? 莎翁其實也認同Machiavelli(讀:/ˌmækɪəˈvɛlɪ/)在the prince所提倡的進步觀,就是做皇帝也要用手段,不能只像Duncan咁溫柔。理想的皇帝在Duncan及Macbeth之間。[莎劇的「皇帝是天命」的觀念,可參:http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-has-divine-right-kings-influenced-william-458064]

2016年2月26日 星期五

10大Problem-Solution題目 1 : air pollution


What are the causes for air pollution in Hong Kong?  What has the government done to address the problems?

Answer: 


Hong Kong has been facing two air pollution issues, namely local street-level pollution and regional smog problem. Diesel vehicles are the main source of street-level pollution. Smog, however, is caused by a combination of pollutants from motor vehicles, marine vessels, industry and power plants both in Hong Kong and in the Pearl River Delta region. Because of these air pollution problems, Hong Kong has yet to fully achieve the current Air Quality Objectives [see Air Quality Objectives Compliance Status]




The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government gives high priority to controlling both local air pollution and regional smog problems. The main strategies include:

Implementing a wide range of measures to control emissions from motor vehicles, marine vessels, power plants, and industrial and commercial processes locally.



Working with Guangdong Provincial Authorities to implement a joint plan to tackle the regional smog problem.

Reducing Emissions from Vehicles

The levels of respirable suspended particulates (RSP) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at the roadside in Hong Kong have been exceeding the Air Quality Objectives over the years. Motor vehicles, especially diesel vehicles, are the main sources of these pollutants at street level in Hong Kong.

<ul><ul><ul><li>25% of all RSP (Respirable Suspended Particulates) </li></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><li>27% of all NOx (Oxi...

Source: HK Department of Transport July 2009

To tackle this problem, the Government has implemented a host of measures to cut vehicular emissions after 1999, such as 

-the incentive programme to replace diesel taxis/light buses with liquefied petroleum gas vehicles, 



-the adoption of tighter fuel and vehicle emission standards whenever practicable, 



Emissions by Euro Standard *This rendering measures emissions in 3 dimensions.

-the incentive programme to retrofit old diesel vehicles with particulate reduction devices, 



-providing grants to help vehicle owners to replace their old vehicles with ones which comply with the prevailing emission standard for newly registered vehicles, 




-stepping up the control on smoky vehicles, 

-reduction of first registration tax for environment-friendly vehicles, etc.


The measures had brought some improvements. Compared with 1999, the roadside concentrations of some of the major air pollutants have dropped in 2014: respirable suspended particulates (RSP), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), have been down by 45%, 67% and 45% respectively, and the number of smoky vehicles spotted has also been reduced by nearly 90%.

However, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at the roadside has increased by 3% in the same period.

To further improve the air quality at the roadside and tackle the roadside NO2 problem, we have embarked on additional control measures to reduce vehicle emissions.  We have 

-adopted an incentive-cum-regulatory approach to phase out some 82,000 pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles (DCVs) progressively by end 2019 involving an ex-gratia payment of about $11.4 billion and 



-limited the service life of DCVs newly registered on or after 1 February 2014 to 15 years.  We have been 


-funding the franchised bus companies the full cost of retrofitting Euro II and III franchised buses with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) devices, which could upgrade their emissions performance comparable to that of Euro IV or above level.  We are also 

<ul><li>75% of buses are OLD and DIRTY  (pre-Euro, Euro I and Euro II standard) </li></ul><ul><li>Less than 1% of the buse...
-fully subsidizing the franchised bus companies to procure six double-deck  and 36 single-deck electric buses for trial.  We have also 



-set up a $300 million Pilot Green Transport Fund to support the testing of green and innovative transport technologies applicable to the public transport sector and goods vehicle.  In addition, the Government has 



-started in September 2014 to strengthen the control of emission from petrol and LPG vehicles including the use of roadside remote sensing equipment and chassis dynamometer testing.



The number of smoky vehicles spotted has reduced substantially as a result of measures taken to reduce vehicular emissions in recent years

Reducing Emissions from Industrial Sources and Power Plants

The Air Pollution Control Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations provide for the control of emissions from power plants, industrial and commercial sources, construction activities, open burning, asbestos, petrol filling stations and dry-cleaning machines.

A regulation introduced in 1990 limiting the sulphur content of industrial fuel has reduced sulphur dioxide pollution to very low levels. We have further amended the regulation in 2008 to mandate the use of ultra low sulphur diesel (with sulphur content not more than 0.005% by weight) in industrial and commercial processes.



Power generation is one of the main air pollutant emission sources in Hong Kong. To reduce the emissions from the power sector, we have been 
-prohibiting the installation of new coal-fired power plant since 1997, 



-encouraging the use of natural gas for electricity generation, --



-imposing stringent emission caps on power plants since 2005, and -

  • linking the two local power companies’ rate of return to their compliance with the emission caps requirements. 
  • In 2008, we have also stipulated the stringent emission caps for 2010 and beyond through a Technical Memorandum (TM). 
  • In 2010, we reviewed the First TM and tightened the emission caps for the power sector from 2015 onward, the compliance with which will require the power sector to maximize the use of existing gas-fired generation units and prioritize coal-fired generation units retrofitted with emission abatement facilities.
  •  Four Technical Memoranda have been issued so far. The Fourth Technical Memorandum would tighten emission caps from 2019 onwards.

As a result of the stringent control measures implemented over the past years, emissions from power plants have been substantially reduced over the years even though demand for power has increased. 

Tackling Regional Air Pollution

Vehicles, industry and power plants in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region all contribute to a regional air pollution problem, commonly seen as smog. The Hong Kong and Guangdong governments are working on a joint plan to reduce the total amount of emissions and stop air quality from further deteriorating as soon as practicable, and in the long term to achieve good air quality for the whole region. Thanks to the joint efforts of the two governments in cutting emissions in the region, such as 

  • retrofitting power plants with flue gas desulphurization devices, 
  • phasing out highly polluting industrial plants in the PRD, 
  • introducing cleaner motor vehicle fuels and motor vehicles, etc.
the air quality in the region has improved in recent years. According to the air quality monitoring results from the PRD Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network, the average annual concentrations of SO2, NO2 and RSP in the PRD Region decreased by 66%, 20% and 24% respectively as compared to the figures of 2006 when the Network started to operate.


參:http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/tc_chi/environmentinhk/air/air_maincontent.html

http://www.slideshare.net/cleanairnetwork/franchised-bus-ppt-30-october-091




2016年2月25日 星期四

十個文學時期6:現代主義(美國篇)

今次已經係我讀個課程第二次講現代主義(modernism),但今次較集中在美國的海明威,我反而比較少聽海明威。

1. Background: during WW1 ravaged the world: 9 million death; pointless death on a large scale; aimless, reckless, unable to believe in abstract ideas

2. Reject 19th century traditions; era pound: make it new

3. Experimental styles: james joyce, woolf, eliot, pound: rediscover the meaning and unity; language as a game

4. Decay and a growing alienation of the individual

5. Machinery of modern society

6. Lost generation in American literature: Gertrude stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, eliot; decadence, hedonism, revelaed the shallow, frivolous lives of the young 

7. Turn inwards to record the workings of consciousness;

8. Hemingway:  abandonment of all ornamental language; the sun also rises; Distill a complex and often tragic life story into a single incident, austere and incisive, ironic understatement, distinct theme, terse description, simple syntax compressed narration, dialogue, silence, action; human drama never trivial; minimalist movement, influenced many writers, such as Raymond Carver, Tobias Wolff, Elizabeth Tallent, Tim O'Brien; Blow to traditional gender roles; impotence; representation of fact rather than fact itself; Code: characterised by courage, self-discipline, grace under pressure; the principle of the iceberg; heroic fatalism

9. Idealised past: Daisy in Gatsby 

2016年2月24日 星期三

考EDB的AI/AEO的溫習題目3: special education 

What has the government done to promote special education?

First, in 1999 the government began a programme to provide air-conditioning in 17 schools for physically and severely mentally handicapped children regardless of whether these schools are affected by noise or other environmental nuisance. By so doing, the government hopes to reduce the discomfort that these children bear due to their physical condition, and thus to improve their learning interest. The government has indeed been improving premises and facilities by providing a one-off grant for aided special schools to procure assistive technology devices to help students with severe or multiple disabilities learn more effectively.

What is Assistive Technology? 
• Devices and services that help individuals with special 
needs: 
Seeing 
Communication 
L...



Secondly, since the government started to systematically promote gifted education in 2001, a growing number of exceptionally gifted local teenagers rise to fame by winning top awards in international competitions. In 2006, to nurture students with exceptional potential and talent, the government supported the establishment of The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education, enhancing the performance of high achievers.

The Academy targets students aged 10 to 18 who are either excellent academic achievers or distinguished performers in specific areas. The curriculum is tailor-made to bring out the full potential of students. The Academy also provides training for parents and teachers to promote the concepts and practices of gifted education. In the long run, the Academy is being developed into a platform for international exchanges as well as research and development.

Thirdly, since 2011, the Education Bureau (EDB) has extended the School-based Educational Psychology Service, giving secondary and primary schools greater support to help students with dyslexia and other special educational needs. The service, now covering 55% of schools, will be extended progressively to cover all public sector secondary and primary schools by the 2016-17 school year. The EDB has also commenced many rounds of professional development programmes for teachers in ordinary schools. Starting from the 2013-14 school year, the EDB has raised the ceiling of the annual Learning Support Grant from $1 million to $1.5 million per school to strengthen support for students with special educational needs. Besides, the EDB has developed diversified teaching resources through cross-sectoral collaboration to help enhance the learning effectiveness of students with special educational needs. It has also stepped up publicity and information dissemination to promote inclusion in the community.





2016年2月22日 星期一

考EDB的AI/AEO的溫習題目2 : national education


What did the government do to promote national education? 

Suggested framework:

Background: It is the HKSAR Government’s established policy to promote national education. The government has adopted a three-pronged approach in this regard.

Action1: The government has been helping students better understand the history and development of our country through curriculum planning. The EDB has organised lectures and training programmes for teachers and students, and produced web-based teaching materials on the opportunities and challenges in our country’s development. Topics included the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the staging of the Olympic Equestrian Events in Hong Kong, China’s first spacewalk by astronauts in its space mission of Shenzhou-7, the 30th anniversary of China’s opening up and reform, and disaster relief and reconstruction efforts for the Sichuan earthquake


Action 2: The government has been providing students with opportunities to join study and exchange programmes to heighten their sense of national identity, and enhance professional training and exchange programmes for teachers. In this way, both teachers and students will see for themselves the rapid development of our country. The EDB has subsidised students to participate in such trips and programmes each year, including junior secondary and upper primary students. To promote national education in a more strategic and systematic manner, the EDB has created a national education platform known as “Passing on the Torch” by co-ordinating the work of various voluntary groups. The government has also allocated additional resources to launch a National Education Funding Scheme for Young People to subsidise and support large-scale national education activities targeting mainly youngsters. This is to give young people a chance to see for themselves the development of our country and to grow to love our motherland and Hong Kong. 



Action 3: Other than providing a subsidy for students to join at least one Mainland exchange programme each in the primary and secondary stages, the government has also launched a pilot scheme to provide financial and professional support for local public sector schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools in a bid to progressively double the number of primary and secondary sister schools in Hong Kong and the Mainland to about 600 pairs within the three years from the 2015/16 school year. This will help further promote experience sharing between sister schools, enhance teaching and learning effectiveness, and relieve teachers from some of the administrative work. At the same time, the EDB explores with Mainland provinces and cities to expand and enhance such exchange and co-operation. Young people can broaden their horizons through two-way visits, life experience activities, cultural and service collaboration as well as job-seeking experience sharing.



2016年2月21日 星期日

考EDB的AI/AEO的溫習題目1: e-learning


What are the advantages of developing e-textbooks in the schools? What did the government do to promote e-learning?

Suggested framework:

Background: The use of e-learning resources has become a major trend in education. 

Advantage 1: E-leaning provides students with an interactive mode of learning, 

Advantage 2: Electronic textbooks and learning resources allow more flexibility in textbook compilation.

Advantage 3: Electronic textbooks and learning resources lower production costs and help achieve reasonable pricing. 

Advantage 4: Electronic textbooks and learning resources reduce wastage. 

Action 1: The Government is committed to developing e-learning
resources. An EDB task force set up in mid-2011 will review
teaching and learning materials and explore ways to better
utilise the advantages of e-learning and improve the provision
of textbooks.

Conclusion: 
E-learning is a desirable alternative to printed textbooks, which is currently the only option available on the market.

2016年2月19日 星期五

施政報告英文系列4:回歸後政府如何增加教育開支


整個教育政策的定位

2012-The Government attaches great importance to education.
Education is the largest single expenditure item in our budget,
representing over 20% of total government recurrent
expenditure. We will continue to allocate resources to provide
quality and diversified education for our people and nurture
talent for the community.

2014-The Government fosters a culture of multi-faceted
excellence and helps nurture young people through education,
employment and whole-person development. We provide them
with diversified learning, training and development
opportunities that match their abilities, aspirations and education
levels.

Young people should develop a positive approach to life
and a sense of social awareness. They should take an interest in
the development of Hong Kong and our country and cultivate an
international vision. They should attach importance to both
individual rights and social obligations.

1. 幼教

師資:

1997: Turning to kindergarten education, I propose to maintain the momentum for improvement in standards by ensuring that 60% of teachers at this level have formal training by 2000; by upgrading the standards of training for teachers, and by requiring all new kindergarten principals to be graduates of the Certificate in Kindergarten Education Course by 2004. Also, we will be introducing improvements to the Kindergarten Subsidy Scheme to provide incentives for kindergartens to employ more trained teachers.

1998- This year we will give a higher rate of subsidy to kindergartens which employ a greater percentage of qualified teachers than required by current standards. This initiative will encourage kindergartens to achieve the target of 60% of teachers being Qualified Kindergarten Teachers before the 2000-2001 school year.

1999: As for early childhood education, which lays the foundation for effective learning, our top priorities are to enhance the professionalism of teachers and to ensure that the curriculum and teaching methods are conducive to children’s healthy development.

1999: We have pledged that, beginning from September 2004, all new kindergarten principals would have to complete the Certificate in Kindergarten Education course. In order to improve the quality of our kindergarten education at a faster rate, we will advance this target by two years to September 2002.

2000-To upgrade the quality of teachers, we have decided to raise the entry requirements of all newly appointed kindergarten teachers. They will need five passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination, including Chinese and English, starting from the 2001-2002 school year. Starting from the 2003-2004 school year, they will be required to complete at least one year of pre-service training. In addition, the ratio of teachers to pupils for half-day and whole-day schooling will both be improved from 1:30 and 1:20 respectively to 1:15 by stages within three years. Within the next five years, we will make arrangements for all serving kindergarten principals and child care centre supervisors to attend courses leading to the Certificate in Early Childhood Education.

2001-From the 2003-2004 school year, all
newly-appointed kindergarten teachers will be required to hold a pre-service
kindergarten teachers qualification. To encourage kindergartens to recruit more
qualified teachers, we will again raise subsidy levels for kindergartens in the
coming year. For example, a group of 30 kindergarten students currently attracts
a maximum subsidy of $41,000. If the kindergarten employed only qualified
teachers, the subsidy would increase to $62,600.

資助/學費:

2000-The Education Department and Social Welfare Department are currently examining further harmonisation of kindergartens and child care centres including the mode of subsidy and training of teachers. They are expected to come up with recommendations within one year. The Government has earmarked a sum of $100 million for the implementation of the recommendations in the next financial year.


2000: Early childhood is the formative stage for psychological and intellectual development. It provides the foundation for developing the capabilities and interest in life-long learning. We must ensure that no child is deprived of the chance to enjoy early childhood education for financial reasons, so we intend to relax the requirements of the Kindergarten Fee Remission Scheme from this school year onwards to benefit more families. At the same time, we will ask schools to strengthen their quality assurance and to be more transparent in their operations so that the quality of teaching will be enhanced.

2006-Providing quality education for our next generation is an integral
part of government support for the family. The Education and Manpower
Bureau issued the Guide to Pre-primary Curriculum earlier this year, and
has set up a pre-primary education support team to provide on-site support
on curriculum development and education strategy with a view to
upgrading the quality of pre-primary education. The Standing Committee
on Language Education and Research has also allocated funds to enhance
the effectiveness of English language teaching in kindergartens and to
subsidise overseas training for teachers. To improve kindergarten
facilities, we plan to allocate $70 million in the current school year as a
one-off Capacity Enhancement Grant for kindergartens to acquire more
books, a wider variety of teaching aids, computers and other teaching
resources, etc. The amount of grant per student will be $500, while the
maximum amount per kindergarten will be $135,000.

2006-We will provide fee assistance
to parents of children aged three to six in the form of an “education
voucher”, and we will rationalise all existing fee assistance schemes.
Starting from the 2007-08 school year, we will provide, in the form of
vouchers to parents, an annual subsidy of up to $13,000 per student, of
which at least $10,000 must be used on fee subsidy, with the remaining
money spent on teacher training. With the gradual upgrading of teachers’
academic qualifications and corresponding increases in salaries, we plan
to progressively raise the level of subsidy. By the 2011-12 school year,
the annual subsidy per student will be $16,000 and will be used entirely
for fee subsidy. Any local non-profit-making kindergartens that charge fees
not more than $24,000 per student per annum will be eligible to redeem
the “education voucher” according to their student intake. To assist
parents to choose a kindergarten, all participating kindergartens will be
required to provide information on their facilities and achievements,
including the academic qualifications of the principals and teachers, the
number of teachers and students, special features of their curriculum,
and teaching arrangements. To assure teaching quality, they will also be
subject to classroom inspection.

To implement the scheme, we estimate that up to an additional
$2 billion will be required each year by 2011-12. Ninety per cent of
students aged three to six will benefit from the scheme, while more than
80% of kindergartens will be eligible.

2013-During my election campaign, the education sector and
parents requested further improvements to our early childhood
education, particularly the provision of 15-year free education.
This would be on the basis of the current 9-year compulsory
education and an extension to our 12-year free education. Since
taking office, the Secretary for Education has met the
kindergarten sector and visited kindergartens on more than 20
occasions and gained a deep understanding of the sector’s
flexible and diversified services. He also noted the considerable
enhancement in the qualifications of kindergarten teachers over
the years. The EDB is setting up a committee to examine the
feasibility of free kindergarten education and recommend
specific proposals to enable all children to have access to quality
kindergarten education. To help kindergartens under the Preprimary
Education Voucher Scheme improve their school
premises and teaching facilities, we will provide them with an
additional one-off grant in the 2013-14 school year for conducting
minor improvement works and procuring furniture and learning
resources and so on.

2014-Early childhood education is an integral part of youth
development. The Committee on Free Kindergarten Education is
studying practical ways to implement three-year free
kindergarten education, and plans to submit its
recommendations next year. To alleviate the financial burden of
kindergarten education on parents, the Government will increase
the voucher value of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme
by $2,500 per year for two consecutive school years in 2014/15
and 2015/16. We will also lift the fee remission ceiling to help
needy families.

2015-Based on the principle of preserving the characteristics of
great flexibility and diversity in kindergarten education, the
Committee on Free Kindergarten Education has looked further
into such issues as whether to offer basic subsidies to all eligible
children who are taking half-day places and whether to adopt a
mandatory salary scale for teachers. Moreover, the Committee
will study ways to encourage kindergartens to provide more fullday
services and consider providing needy families with
subsidised whole-day and long whole-day services.
Recommendations will be put forward in mid-2015. For proper
use of public resources, the Committee considers that the
provision should only cover the basic expenses directly
attributable to children’s learning and school operation.

2016- The Government has decided to implement a free quality
kindergarten education policy from the 2017/18 school year to
improve the quality of kindergarten education in various aspects
through the following measures:
(i) Provide eligible local non-profit-making
kindergartens with a basic subsidy for a three-year
quality half-day service for all eligible children. It is
estimated that about 70% to 80% of the places in halfday
kindergartens will become free-of-charge. The
estimate is based on a number of assumptions. For
instance, that kindergartens recruit teachers at the
recommended teacher-pupil ratio of 1:11; that
Government funding other than that used for paying
teachers’ salaries and provided as specific subvention
is used in a flexible way; and that rental expenses of
kindergartens remain stable at the current level. The
Government will also provide an additional subsidy
for eligible whole-day and long whole-day
kindergartens, and revise the planning standards to
offer more whole-day places progressively;
(ii) Further improve the teacher-pupil ratio to 1:11 to
strengthen support for students with diverse needs,
and encourage kindergartens to establish a career
ladder and provide competitive remuneration to
attract and retain quality teaching staff;
(iii) Review the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum,
taking into consideration the experience of learning
and teaching in kindergartens and societal needs;
(iv) Refine the Quality Assurance Framework; enhance
the governance and transparency of kindergartens;
and step up the Government’s monitoring efforts;
(v) Strengthen support for needy students, non-Chinese
speaking students and students with diverse
learning needs;
(vi) Enhance parent engagement and parent education;
and
(vii) Improve school premises and facilities and explore
feasible measures to increase kindergarten premises
in the long run.
189. Before the new policy is implemented, I will invite the
CCF to consider providing a one-off grant for kindergarten
students from needy families in

其他:
2014-The “zero delivery quota” policy implemented last year
for expectant Mainland mothers whose husbands are not Hong
Kong residents has greatly relieved the pressure on local
obstetrics and gynaecology services. Next, we will ensure
adequate educational opportunities for local students, and
continue to strive to alleviate the pressure arising from the
demand for local school places by children born to non-local
parents.

2. 小學

全日制

1998-Last year I announced that, as an interim target we aimed to have 60% of our primary school children enjoying whole-day schooling by 2002. We are on course to achieve this target. Our longer term aim is for virtually all primary school students to enjoy whole-day schooling from the start of academic year 2007-2008. In pursuing this aim we must recognise constraints such as the availability of sufficient school sites in individual districts and possible shifts in population growth and distribution. Also, reluctantly we shall have to continue with the interim measure of slightly increasing class size, in the interests of achieving the important aim of full whole-day schooling.


1999: Whole-day primary schooling is an important part of our efforts to
raise the quality of education. It is important because it allows teachers more
time to focus on giving the students an all-round education in ethics,
intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics. At the same time students are
able to enjoy a better school life. We have made good progress in providing
whole-day schooling for primary school students. The percentage of primary
students enjoying whole-day schooling has risen from 19% in 1997 to 32%
this year. By September 2002, the percentage will have doubled to reach our
earlier interim target of 60%. We have set the long-term target of achieving
whole-day schooling for almost all primary school students by the 2007-2008
school year.

2001-A good learning environment and ample time for learning can facilitate
effective teaching. In my 1997 Policy Address, I announced that we would
expedite the implementation of whole-day primary schooling. At that time, only
21% of primary students attended whole-day schools while today the figure is
48%. Our target is to extend this to almost all primary students by the
2007-2008 school year.

資源:

2001: In primary schools, we will strengthen student counselling services
by allowing schools to employ a counselling teacher or to provide social work
service to help student development. To complement curriculum reform,
Curriculum Officer posts will be created in stages to lead internal curriculum
development.

2007-I have pledged to implement small-class teaching in my
Election Platform. Starting from the 2009-10 school year, smallclass
teaching will be implemented in Primary One of suitable
public primary schools by phases. By the 2014-15 school year,
this initiative will be extended to all classes from Primary One
to Primary Six. Some people consider that small-class teaching
is just one of the means to enhance the quality of teaching and
learning. As such, a one-size-fits-all approach requiring all
schools to reduce the class size should be avoided. In fact, in
some school nets, if all schools implemented small-class teaching,
there would be a shortage of school places. The full
implementation of small-class teaching hinges on having enough
teachers and classrooms. Therefore we need to be flexible and
pragmatic in implementing this policy. As the preference and
conditions necessary for small-class teaching vary among
schools, the Education Bureau will allow flexibility and fully
consult the stakeholders and respect their opinions in formulating
detailed implementation arrangements, which are expected to be
finalised by September 2008.

2014-To help implement poverty alleviation and other learning
support initiatives, the Government will provide public sector
primary schools with an additional recurrent grant equivalent to
the salary of a Clerical Assistant from the 2014/15 school year.
This will help relieve the administrative workload of teachers.

師資:

2001: To help implement poverty alleviation and other learning
support initiatives, the Government will provide public sector
primary schools with an additional recurrent grant equivalent to
the salary of a Clerical Assistant from the 2014/15 school year.
This will help relieve the administrative workload of teachers.

2015-The EDB will progressively increase the graduate teacher
ratio in public sector primary schools from the current 50% to
65% in the 2017/18 school year. This will be implemented in
phases in the three years from the 2015/16 school year to attract
more talent to join the teaching force of primary education. The
EDB will also, through pilot projects, consolidate more experience
and evidence on effective means to strengthen the internal
management of public sector schools and reduce administrative
work of teachers.

3. 中學 (教育改革)


增加高中學位/334/12年免費/ 人人有書讀

1997: ask the Education Commission to begin a thorough review of the structure of pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education, addressing the age at which students should begin each stage of education; the duration of the various stages; the curriculum and the interface between stages. It will also consider the matter of four years of tertiary education;


1998: the Education Commission began a review of the structure of our entire formal education system, from pre-primary to tertiary level. The Commission's work focuses on key issues related to the academic structure. These include the overall aims of education and how they relate to the nature and duration of the various stages in the system, from pre-primary to tertiary level. The review will also look at issues related to the curriculum and to methods of assessing academic achievement. The Commission's work in this regard is of great importance, and I look forward to receiving its preliminary findings in 1999.


2000: At present, only 85% of Secondary 3 students from public sector schools have subsidised Secondary 4 places, while another 5% receive subsidised vocational training. Starting from the 2002-2003 school year, Secondary 3 students from public sector schools who are capable and want to continue with their studies will be provided with subsidised Secondary 4 places or vocational training. In order to meet the demand, we plan to provide about 6 000 more subsidised school places before the 2003-2004 school year. We expect this will incur an extra $740 million in recurrent expenditure by 2007-2008.

2000: This year, the Government will expand the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme展翅 for job-seeking school leavers. We will also continue with our efforts in implementing “Project Springboard” 毅進 to encourage young people to continue their education.

2001-I also pledged last year that from 2002 onwards, all willing and capable
Secondary Three students who want to continue studying will be provided with
subsidised Secondary Four and Five places. If we change the structure of senior
secondary schools to a three-year one, in the long run all students will be able
to receive six years of secondary education. In recent years, we have also
launched the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme and Project
Springboard to alleviate the problem of a shortfall in school places and to
provide young people with an alternative path to seek employment or pursue
further studies.

2004-In its report published last year, the Education Commission proposed
changing the academic structure to three-year junior secondary, three-year senior
secondary and four-year university. After consulting the education sector, the
Government has accepted this direction in principle. Nevertheless, changing the
academic structure of senior secondary forms and universities is a major
exercise. It involves complex preparation, gives rise to many resource allocation
issues and must be planned in detail. The Secretary for Education and Manpower
will consult the public within this year on these changes, including the design
blueprint, timetable for implementation and financial arrangements. The change
of academic structure is expected to require four years of preparation. We will
only implement these changes after adequate preparation and with public
support. The prime mission for the next few years is to ensure the success of
reforms already started and to fine-tune the various related arrangements.
2006-To facilitate the development of family members and a
knowledge-based society, we are steadily moving forward with our
education reforms and have started to see results in various areas.
Preparatory work for the introduction of the “3-3-4” academic structure
has been progressing as scheduled. Students are now able to pursue
continuous learning through multiple progression pathways. I have deep
respect for all our frontline educators for their hard work in nurturing talent
and their active participation in implementing the education reforms. We
are delighted to see that in recent years generous donations for local
education have been made by an increasing number of benefactors. Their
lofty and visionary deeds have won wide acclaim in our community, and
deservedly so.

2007-Hong Kong has been providing nine-year free education
through public primary and secondary schools. Some people
consider that this should extend to senior secondary forms. To
demonstrate the Government’s steadfast commitment to
education and the nurturing of our next generation, we will offer
12-year free education starting from the 2008-09 school year. We
will fully subsidise students in public secondary schools,
including senior secondary education. For students under the
new three-year senior secondary education structure starting
from the 2009-10 school year, we will provide 12-year free
education. For those secondary students under the existing
structure, we will provide 13-year free education.

Some Form Three school leavers have chosen to enrol in
full-time subsidised courses provided by the Vocational Training
Council instead of pursuing senior secondary education. Starting
from the 2008-09 school year, the Government will fully
subsidise these courses to provide an alternative free avenue for
senior secondary students to further their studies other than in
mainstream education.

2013-We will continue to actively develop senior secondary
curriculum and post-secondary programmes that feature more
diversified and specialist subjects. Apart from conventional
academic subjects, we will progressively develop an education
and training system for young people that will integrate
academic studies and interest, as well as professional and
vocational training, under an orderly framework that features
diversity, provides multiple pathways and enjoys high
recognition.

2014-The Government has devoted considerable resources to
providing young people with formal education. To ensure that
disadvantaged students have equal learning opportunities, three
CCF learning support programmes will be incorporated into the
Government’s regular assistance programme from the 2014/15
school year. These CCF programmes are: (i) providing free lunch
at schools for primary students receiving a full grant under the
student financial assistance schemes; (ii) increasing the flat-rate
grant by about 100% for each primary and secondary student
eligible under the School Textbook Assistance Scheme; and, (iii)
establishing a tuition fee reimbursement mechanism for students
in need pursuing eligible programmes below sub-degree level
and providing them with a flat-rate academic expenses grant.
These three measures will benefit about 270 000 students.

全人發展

1997 and ask the universities to review their admission criteria for undergraduates to give recognition to excellence in extra-curricula areas, such as community service, arts and sports.

1997: review our examination system to take account of students* performance at schools so that their achievements will not be determined by a single examination;


1999: For instance, many educators maintain that education should go beyond imparting academic knowledge to our students. Rather, it should aim at an all-round development of our children, including development not only in knowledge but also in personal character, skills, attitude and physique. In addition to normal academic studies, our students need to learn how to become responsible and caring individuals. There are suggestions that we review the curriculum, reduce the number of subjects and integrate the formal curriculum with extra-curricular activities so as to give our students a well-rounded education and to develop their intelligence and creativity.

1999: Local tertiary institutions have started to admit students with exceptional performances in non-academic fields in order to encourage a more balanced development of our students. This year, a total of 277 students who excelled in non-academic fields were admitted by eight institutions. I look forward to seeing further reforms in the admission system that tie in with the future development in Hong Kong’s education.

2000: Once all these reforms have been put in place, I can see how our future generations will be able to seek out knowledge and be absorbed by the way it is communicated to them:
• Resources will be more abundant. Students will have their examination burden lightened and enjoy better all-round development. School leavers will possess a broad spectrum of knowledge and balanced development in the domains of ethics, intellect, physique, social skills and aesthetics. They will understand the need to make continual efforts to learn, to think, to explore, to be creative and to respond to changes. They will be ready to make contributions to the future of our community, our country and the world at large. School principals and teachers will likewise be expected to pursue life-long learning to enhance their professional standards.

1999: The Education Commission is now consulting the public on our entire education system. In this second round of consultations, it is inviting views on the approach for reform and its initial thinking on the school curricula, education systems, assessment methods and the interface between the various stages of education. I have noted the public’s initial support for the proposals and the wish that these be implemented as soon as possible. I expect the Education and Manpower Bureau to give me the final report by the middle of next year when the Commission has completed the whole review. I hope to see the early implementation of those recommendations receiving general public support.

2000: We will also provide additional resources and professional services to help schools reform the school curriculum and improve teaching methods. This will make learning more interesting, and help students to enjoy allround development. At the senior secondary school , we will increase the range of learning options to allow students more choice of schools and subjects according to their abilities and interests. The rigid divide between the arts and science streams will be removed and equal emphasis will be placed on the acquisition of knowledge, skills and positive values. And, we have already announced that we will provide $500 million this school year to implement the principle of “teaching students according to their aptitude” more effectively.

2000: Learning should be comprehensive. It should not be confined within
the bounds of schools or books. Children should participate in extracurricular
activities more often and strive to achieve all-round development. I
earnestly hope that schools will capitalise on the opportunities for
improvement created by the reforms. Schools should have more scope for
moral and civic education courses enabling the students to develop sound
beliefs, determination and integrity, leadership skills, a sense of social
responsibility and positive attitudes towards life. I have asked the Education
and Manpower Bureau to work with other relevant departments and so-called
uniformed groups, such as the Red Cross, the scouts and the guides to
arrange more activities to help students develop their potential in these areas.

2001-It is expected that within three to five years our education system will
become more flexible, with a more diversified curriculum offering a wider
choice to students. We need to better nurture the various talents or exceptional
abilities of students. This we can do by implementing curriculum reforms that
accord better with a student’s abilities and thus provide a more equitable learning
environment.

2004-Education reforms carried out in primary and secondary schools over
the past few years have been on the right track. For students, the interest in
learning has increased, curricula have become more varied and there is now
more scope for developing an individual’s potential. All the efforts of school
principals, teachers and parents have produced encouraging results. I am aware
that the implementation of education reforms has increased the workload of
teachers and confused some parents. Following feedback from educators and
parents, we will strengthen communication with school principals, teachers,
parents, students themselves and the community at large to clearly explain the
concepts behind the policies and listen to views from all sectors. But, for the
sake of Hong Kong’s long-term interests, we must insist on education reforms.

2014-Learning outside classroom settings can help students
realise their potential in different areas, develop their character
and multiple intelligences, and gain all-round learning
experience.

2014- Under various assistance schemes offered by the
Government and the CCF, schools and NGOs are able to provide
extra-curricular activities as well as after-school learning and
support for primary and secondary students in need. In the
2014/15 school year, the Government will provide greater
flexibility for schools in implementing the School-based Afterschool
Learning and Support Programmes and, by providing
funding, encourage schools to make better use of the Schoolbased
Grant to benefit more primary and secondary students
from needy families. In the long run, the Government will
explore ways to consolidate various assistance schemes to achieve
greater effectiveness.

2014-We are pleased to see that the business sector and
community organisations have, on their own initiative, launched
extra-curricular activities and after-school learning support
programmes such as Project WeCan and the 333 Learning
Companion Leadership Program with encouraging results. To
further encourage the business sector and organisations to work
students mainly from grassroots families, the Government will
earmark another $200 million on top of the original funding of
$200 million for the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged.
The additional funding will be provided on a matching fund
basis through the Partnership Fund, and will be dedicated to
launching more after-school learning and support programmes
for primary and secondary students from grassroots families.

Since the launch of the $300 million Child Development
Fund (CDF) in 2008, the Government has been actively
implementing and refining CDF projects. We will earmark $300
million in the next financial year to ensure the sustainability of
the CDF and help more students from needy families.

直資

1997:
review our policy on private schools in order to foster a more vibrant and diverse private school system that encourages innovation and gives parents greater choice;

1998
For many years, public sector schools have provided most of our primary and secondary school places. They have contributed considerably to educating our children. Nonetheless, we recognise that at this stage of Hong Kong's development there are good arguments for injecting more variety into our education system, for giving schools greater scope for innovation and for allowing parents a wider choice by fostering growth in the number of quality private schools. To facilitate expansion in the private school sector, we will -
increase the level of assistance to direct subsidy schools in 1999;
allocate, on a pilot basis, Government-built premises to interested bodies to operate direct subsidy schools; and
introduce a pilot scheme whereby non-profit making private schools may apply for a land grant at nominal premium and for a capital assistance loan.

1999: I have pledged to provide support for the development of quality private schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools, as a move to introduce greater diversity and to give parents more choice. Recently, the Government granted two sites for the operation of non-profit-making private schools. In addition, four school premises have been allocated for the establishment of non-profit-making schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme. We will continue to allocate resources in the coming year to support the development of such schools. I hope that more aided schools will join the Direct Subsidy Scheme, so that there will be even greater diversity in our education system.

2001-Our education system attaches great importance to raising education
standards as well as helping students develop to their full potential. We want
to train a large pool of talents for tomorrow’s Hong Kong. Since 1999, the
Government has approved the establishment of seven quality private schools
and 24 Direct Subsidy Scheme schools. Subsidised schools with distinct
characteristics or an outstanding performance record have been encouraged to
join the Direct Subsidy Scheme.


英語水平

1997: To make an immediate impact on improving the English language standard of our students, we will implement a new Native-speaking English Teachers Scheme, providing more than 700 additional native-speaking English teachers for secondary schools from next year.

We will also : set language benchmarks for all teachers in 1998-99; require all new teachers to meet the benchmarks before they join the profession in 2000; provide training for in-service language teachers, so that within five years of the benchmarks being set, all will be able to reach them; and provide more teachers to support school library services and the Chinese and English Extensive Reading Schemes in primary school. 88. In the longer term, we need to develop a centre of excellence in language teaching, and we will be looking into establishing a "Centre of Language Teaching" within the Institute of Education for the training and retraining of our language teachers.

The tertiary institutions have a role to play in enhancing the language proficiency of students. Students whose language skills do not meet the minimum standards should not enter the institutions. We will ask the universities to consider exit language tests and we will provide more resources to them for language training.

1999: It is the SAR Government’s goal to train our people to be truly biliterate and trilingual. To ensure that all teachers achieve a necessary standard of language ability, we have established language benchmarks for those teaching English in junior secondary schools and Putonghua in primary schools. The relevant training programmes and examinations will start next year. Thereafter, newly-appointed teachers must pass the language benchmarks. By 2005, all serving language teachers must have attained the benchmarks. That is, starting from next year, there will be an objective mechanism to ensure that language teachers have the necessary standards and the ability to teach in the relevant languages.

1999: As a cosmopolitan city, we must ensure that more people can use English and use it better. The business sector has been complaining of a decline in the English standards of our younger generation since the early 1990’s. In prompt response to their proposals and as a short-term measure, next year the Government will join hands with the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), and our industrial and business sector in launching a territory-wide publicity campaign to promote the use of English. The aim will be to enhance the English standards of the workforce and our students. In the long term, we will continue to improve the quality of our English teachers and the method of instruction in schools to ensure that students master basic language skills at an early stage of their education. Since early 1998, we have been providing at least one additional native-speaking English teacher for each secondary school. I am pleased to note that positive results have been achieved in the past year.

2001-Since the 1998-1999 school year, the Native-speaking English Teacher
Scheme has been operating in secondary schools. Although the scheme
encountered some teething problems, it has gradually brought about a new
culture of English language teaching in our schools that is widely supported.

For effective language learning, it should start as early as possible.
From the start of the next school year, we will strengthen English language
teaching in primary schools with various initiatives. Our targets include
providing native English-speaking teachers or teaching assistants in every
primary school and the organisation of more extra-curricular activities using
English.

母語教學/普通話

1998- We remain fully committed to the promotion of mother-tongue teaching. First, because expert opinion world wide is that students learn best in their mother-tongue. Secondly, we are committed to improving the ability of our students to use Chinese and English. To help Chinese medium schools improve their teaching of English, we are -
providing up to four additional English language teachers for each school, of whom a maximum of two may be native-speaking English teachers;
giving schools additional recurrent grants for English language teaching materials and library books; and
giving priority to Chinese medium schools in the provision of multi-media learning centres.

I realise that the implementation of the mother-tongue learning initiative caused some concern in the community. While we will continue to adhere to the principles behind this initiative, we have undertaken to review progress within three years to examine further how to promote mother-tongue teaching and improve students' ability in the use of both languages.

1999: Chinese is one of the most widely used languages in the world. It is also an important tool for exploring our own cultural heritage. We must continue to improve the Chinese standards of our students, both written and spoken. Mother-tongue teaching was introduced to help students learn more effectively. Most secondary schools adopted mother-tongue teaching in September 1998. Since then, we have found that students have improved in both their cognitive and learning abilities. According to the feedback from some schools, their Form 1 students receiving mother-tongue instruction have achieved better results in all subjects, including English.


2001-The five-year strategy on information technology in education
announced in late-1998 has been implemented progressively to cope with the
development of the knowledge-based economy. All schools now have
computers and Internet access. A one-stop online teaching and learning platform
has been provided. Students are better equipped to step into the knowledgebased
economy.

校本管理

1997: We will allocate $5 billion to establish a Quality Education Development Fund. This will be used to encourage innovation, competition and self-motivated reform in primary and secondary schools. It will be a more flexible and efficient alternative funding source than the normal Government mechanism.

To promote and strengthen school-based management, we will also require all schools to draw up plans and achievement targets; publish annual reports; and conduct fair and open appraisal of teachers. We will give school principals, whose leadership is key to the success of our education system, more flexibility in the use of funds to meet their own plans and priorities.

From 1999, we will also provide grants to all public sector schools to help them draw up management programmes which will give them more flexibility, as well as greater responsibility for improving the quality of education. Altogether these schools will receive an estimated total of over $500 million in grants over the four years to 2003.

1999: Our policy is to delegate full authority and responsibility to schools and their front-line staff as far as possible. The Education Department has started devolving administrative and financial responsibilities to schools in stages. This is resulting in a leaner departmental management structure. At the same time, we are implementing measures to strengthen school-based management and enhance the schools’ accountability.

教學水平/ 教師發展

1998: We must also redouble our efforts to improve the quality of teaching in our schools. Our teachers and principals are the backbone of our education system, and their skill and commitment are essential to the success of this system. I announced in the 1997 Policy Address our goal of requiring all new teachers to be trained graduates. As a first step we will develop the Hong Kong Institute of Education into a degree-awarding teacher training institute. Currently the Institute offers 2 400 Certificate of Education places. In the 1999-2000 academic year we will start progressively to upgrade these places, and provide instead places at degree or above level at both the Institute and other tertiary institutions.

To improve further the quality and professionalism of our teachers, we will -
allocate $20 million to set up a General Teaching Council;
develop an awards scheme which will recognise high performance and stimulate a culture of quality in the teaching profession; and
provide subject training in music and art and crafts to some 600 teachers annually over the next seven years to ensure an all-round education for our students.

1999: We are progressively upgrading all pre-service training courses provided by the Hong Kong Institute of Education for primary and secondary school teachers, from sub-degree to degree or higher level. The first batch of students will graduate in 2002. Other tertiary institutions also offer degree courses in education. By 2004, we will have upgraded all the pre-service training programmes for primary and secondary school teachers to degree level. The Government will also provide comprehensive training programmes for school principals. The first programme is scheduled to commence in the 2000-2001 school year. Thereafter, all newly-appointed principals will have to complete the first part of the programme prior to appointment

2000: Certainly, institutional reforms can create the conditions to facilitate improvements in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, but whether these actually will occur depends on the leadership of schools and their sponsoring organisations, the capabilities of teachers and the motivation of students. Of these, the key is our teaching force. Our teachers are devoted to their jobs. Many of them are always keen to upgrade their professional standards through continuous learning in their spare time. To provide them with greater support in the next five years, we will step up training for school principals and teachers, encourage communication and co-operation, support the establishment of a General Teaching Council and initiate continuing professional development for teachers. We will also review the performance assessment and promotion systems with a view to rewarding outstanding teachers.

2001: Second, resources will be provided to encourage teachers to further
their studies. With a view to upgrading the professional standard of all teachers,
we will explore ways to enhance the professional development of serving
teachers, provide extra support for new teachers, and strengthen co-operation
and communication among teachers.

教師人數:

2001: First, teachers must be given ample room to balance work, rest,
learning and family life. From the last school year, an annual provision of $500
million has been shared among all public schools to create a better environment
for teachers. Many schools have spent their allocation on increasing staff and
purchasing services that reduce teacher workload. In the coming year, this
allocation for secondary schools will increase by 50%. For instance, a secondary
school with 18 classes will have its share of funding increased from $300,000
to $450,000.

2013-We will work in collaboration with the education sector to
tackle the impact of a changing student population. To address
the transient decline in Secondary One student population in the
coming few years, the Education Bureau (EDB) will implement a
series of measures to help preserve our schools, the teaching
force and the strengths of our education sector. These measures
will help stabilise the teaching force and balance the needs and
concerns of different stakeholders.

2016- The New Academic Structure Medium-term Review at
senior secondary level has been completed and the Government
will actively promote life planning education. To enhance the
implementation of the senior secondary curriculum, and
strengthen life planning education and related guidance services,
schools may turn the existing Senior Secondary Curriculum
Support Grant as well as Career and Life Planning Grant into
regular teaching posts from the 2016/17 school year. This will
provide about 1 000 additional teaching posts at the Graduate
Master/Mistress rank. We will review the implementation of the
measures in schools in the next two school years.

2016-To address the temporary decline in the number of
secondary school students, the Government has introduced a
basket of targeted relief measures to help stabilise the teaching
force. The measures aim at maintaining the stability and
strength of schools as well as the teaching force during this
transitional period. To stabilise secondary school development
before a gradual rebound of the student population, the
Government will continue to provide relief measures, such as
allowing schools to extend the retention period of surplus
teachers arising from fewer secondary one classes from one year
to three years. To further stabilise the teaching force, aided
secondary schools in need may apply to extend the retention
period for these surplus teachers up to the 2017/18 school year.
Around 130 teachers in 30 schools will be involved.

優質教育基金

1998: In last year's Policy Address I set out a number of measures aimed at improving the quality of education in primary and secondary schools by having the schools take greater responsibility for the teaching environment. Among these was the setting up of the $5 billion Quality Education Fund, under which schools can apply for grants to raise their standards through innovation. So far more than 500 projects have received a total of over $350 million from the fund. These projects will benefit over 500 000 students in pre-primary, primary and secondary schools.

1999: The Government set up a $5 billion Quality Education Fund last year to support school-based innovative practices and to improve the quality of teaching and learning. To date, we have granted some $580 million to over 1 000 projects, benefiting more than 600 000 kindergarten, primary and secondary students. The projects have improved the effectiveness of both teaching and learning, and have encouraged the teachers and principals involved to try out more creative ways of teaching.


提高IT能力

1998-To promote further the use of IT in education, in the coming year we have ear-marked funds totalling $630 million in order to -
provide more IT training for teachers;
enhance the accessibility of all students to computers;
supply technical back-up to help schools manage their newly-acquired IT facilities; and
employ some 250 IT co-ordinators to help public sector schools develop and implement their IT-based initiatives.
We are determined to ensure that in implementating this initiative we achieve the aim of integrating the use of IT with our education system for the benefit of teachers and pupils alike.

1999: We have offered schools cash grants for purchasing computers, provided 120 schools each with an information technology co-ordinator, and begun information technology training for teachers. There has been a change in the education sector’s mindset towards the use of information technology. Initially they had reservations. Now they embrace the idea and are responding positively. Within the next five years, our school children will be able to master the general application of information technology, connect to the Internet, and be equipped to become life-long learners with inquiring and creative minds.

2001-The five-year strategy on information technology in education
announced in late-1998 has been implemented progressively to cope with the
development of the knowledge-based economy. All schools now have
computers and Internet access. A one-stop online teaching and learning platform
has been provided. Students are better equipped to step into the knowledgebased
economy.

2011-The use of e-learning resources has become a major trend
in education. Apart from providing students with an interactive
mode of learning, electronic textbooks and learning resources
allow more flexibility in textbook compilation, lower production
costs, reduce wastage and help achieve reasonable pricing. This
is a desirable alternative to printed textbooks, which is currently
the only option available on the market.

The Government is committed to developing e-learning
resources. An EDB task force set up in mid-2011 will review
teaching and learning materials and explore ways to better
utilise the advantages of e-learning and improve the provision
of textbooks.

2014-The Government will launch the Fourth Strategy on
Information Technology in Education this year. Major initiatives
include the phased provision of wireless network services and
other supporting facilities for all public sector schools from the
2014/15 school year.

2015-The EDB will renew and enrich the curricula and
learning activities of Science, Technology and Mathematics, and
enhance the training of teachers, thereby allowing primary and
secondary students to fully unleash their potential in innovation

2016- The Government will continue to provide financial
support for public sector primary and secondary schools to set
up Wi-Fi infrastructure in campuses and procure mobile
computing devices. Related works at half of the public sector
schools in Hong Kong have been completed.

校舍:

2001-Under the School Improvement Programme, upgrading works have
been completed at 360 of around 800 target schools, while works are progressing
at more than 150 other schools. We will step up the pace with a view to
completing all approved projects by the 2004-2005 school year.

國教

123. Apart from encouraging our people to care about, and participate in, local affairs, it is the Government’s duty to help everyone, especially our younger generations, to know more about our fast-developing motherland. This year, we mark the 30th anniversary of China’s opening up and reform. Next year, we will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. We will launch a series of activities for this important occasion to enhance young people’s understanding of our country. This will help foster a strong sense of national identity in the era of globalisation.

124. It is the HKSAR Government’s established policy to promote national education. We will continue to adopt a three-pronged approach in this regard: helping students better understand the history and development of our country through curriculum planning; providing students with opportunities to join study and exchange programmes to heighten their sense of national identity; and, encouraging students to contribute to our country’s development.

125. In the past year, we organised lectures and training programmes for teachers and students, and produced web-based teaching materials on the opportunities and challenges in our country’s development. Topics included the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the staging of the Olympic Equestrian Events in Hong Kong, China’s first spacewalk by astronauts in its space mission of Shenzhou-7, the 30th anniversary of China’s opening up and reform, and disaster relief and  econstruction efforts for the Sichuan earthquake.

126. The Government will devote additional resources to promoting national education. For
example, we will offer more opportunities for Hong Kong students to join Mainland study trips and exchange programmes, and enhance professional training and exchange programmes for teachers. In this way, both teachers and students will see for themselves the rapid development of our country. Currently, we subsidise about 5 000 secondary students to participate in such trips and programmes each year. We will increase the quota to 37 000 to include junior secondary and upper primary students. To promote national education in a more strategic and systematic manner, we will create a national education platform to be known as “Passing on the Torch” by co-ordinating the work of various voluntary groups.

127. We will continue to subsidise Mainland study trips for youths. Separately, we will allocate additional resources to launch a National Education Funding Scheme for Young People to subsidise and support large-scale national education activities targeting mainly youngsters. This is to give our young people a chance to see for themselves the development of our country and to grow to love our motherland and Hong Kong

制服團隊

2014-The Government will allocate additional resources to
strengthen its networking and communication with young
people at the district level. In addition, the Government’s
recurrent subvention for uniformed groups such as the Scout
Association, the Hong Kong Red Cross and the Hong Kong Road
Safety Patrol will be doubled in the coming year, and funding for
the Assistance Scheme for Needy Student Members will be
increased to benefit more students from needy families.
115. Furthermore, we have decided to expand the Cadet Corps
of the Auxiliary Medical Service from the next financial year.
The target is to increase the number of cadets from the current
1 000 to 3 000 in five years.

中西史

2015-The EDB will renew the curriculum content of Chinese
History and World History and enrich the learning experience of
students. The training of teachers will also be enhanced. The
objectives are to reinforce students’ interest in and understanding
of Chinese history and culture and broaden their global outlook

與大陸學校結盟

2015-Our country is developing rapidly. We plan to provide a
subsidy for students to join at least one Mainland exchange
programme each in the primary and secondary stages. We will
also launch a pilot scheme to provide financial and professional
support for local public sector schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme
schools in a bid to progressively double the number of primary
and secondary sister schools in Hong Kong and the Mainland to
about 600 pairs within the three years from the 2015/16 school
year. This will help further promote experience sharing between sister schools, enhance teaching and learning effectiveness, and
relieve teachers from some of the administrative work. At the
same time, we will explore with Mainland provinces and cities to
expand and enhance such exchange and co-operation. Young
people can broaden their horizons through two-way visits, life
experience activities, cultural and service collaboration as well as
job-seeking experience sharing.

心理學家

2016-The Government will further enhance the School-based
Educational Psychology Service by progressively improving the
ratio of educational psychologist to school to 1:4 for public sector
primary and secondary schools with a large number of students
with such needs.

4 . 特殊教育

1998 In the coming year we will begin a programme to provide air-conditioning in 17 schools for physically and severely mentally handicapped children regardless of whether these schools are affected by noise or other environmental nuisance. By so doing, we hope to reduce the discomfort that these children bear due to their physical condition, and thus to improve their learning interest.

2006-The support rendered by the Government to families is not just
confined to pre-primary education. Since we started to systematically
promote gifted education in 2001, we have seen a growing number of
exceptionally gifted local teenagers rise to fame by winning top awards
in international competitions. To nurture students with exceptional potential
17
and talent, we support the establishment of an Academy for Gifted
Education. This will enhance the performance of high achievers.

We envisage the Academy will target students aged 10 to 18 who
are either excellent academic achievers or distinguished performers in
specific areas. The curriculum will be tailor-made to bring out the full
potential of students. The Academy will also provide training for parents
and teachers to promote the concepts and practices of gifted education.
In the long run, the Academy can be developed into a platform for
international exchanges as well as research and development.

2011-The Education Bureau (EDB) will extend the School-based
Educational Psychology Service, giving secondary and primary
schools greater support to help students with dyslexia and other
special educational needs. The service, now covering 55% of
schools, will be extended progressively to cover all public sector
secondary and primary schools by the 2016-17 school year.

2013-We will strengthen our support for students with special
educational needs. In this connection, the EDB has commenced
another round of professional development programmes for
teachers in ordinary schools. The School-based Educational
Psychology Service is being extended progressively, with the
target of covering all secondary and primary schools in the
public sector by the 2016-17 school year. Starting from the 2013-14
school year, the EDB will raise the ceiling of the annual Learning
Support Grant from $1 million to $1.5 million per school to
strengthen support for schools. Besides, the EDB will develop
diversified teaching resources through cross-sectoral
collaboration to help enhance the learning effectiveness of
students with special educational needs. We will also step up
publicity and information dissemination to promote inclusion in
the community. For special schools, we will continue to improve
school premises and facilities. We will also provide a one-off
grant for aided special schools to procure assistive technology
devices to help students with severe or multiple disabilities learn
more effectively.

2015- To cultivate more talent, the Government proposes to set
up an $800 million Gifted Education Fund for supporting the
Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education’s work in nurturing
exceptionally gifted students aged between 10 and 18.
Meanwhile, the Education Bureau will continue to implement
school-based gifted education programmes, which include
training for principals and teachers in primary and secondary
schools, and establishment of school networks for practices and
experience sharing.





5. 大學

提昇研究水平

1998-. To remain competitive we must be skillful and versatile, and our higher education system has to reflect this need. We will encourage our tertiary institutions to build on their existing strengths by developing centres of excellence. This will help ensure that they keep pace with rising international standards so as to serve better Hong Kong's future economic and social needs. The tertiary sector's decision to offer places to students who excel in areas other than pure academic performance sends a clear signal that our society values attributes such as athletic or artistic talent. We will look to this arrangement becoming a regular feature of the admission system.

To enhance our status as a regional centre for higher education, it is our policy to admit non-local students to our higher education programmes. Starting from the 1999-2000 academic year, the overall quota of a maximum of 580 first-year, non-local undergraduate students will include 150 outstanding Mainland students. The admission of non-local students facilitates the cross-fertilisation of skills and ideas, injects an element of healthy competition for local students and broadens our students' outlook on the Mainland and the region as a whole.

1999: We have always encouraged tertiary institutions to strive for greater achievements and to turn their special strengths into areas of excellence of international standard. The institutions have given an enthusiastic response. The University Grants Committee received a total of 41 proposals on the development of “areas of excellence”. The three chosen propose strategies for developing information technology, biotechnology, and economics and business strategy as Hong Kong’s areas of excellence. The University Grants Committee will provide over $120 million in total over five years to the relevant institutions for implementing their proposals.

2000: A diverse, multi-level, multi-channel system of tertiary education accessible to all will emerge. Our university education will become more flexible and diverse. It will aspire to a higher international reputation with the continued upgrading of academic standards and teaching quality. The curriculum will cover personal development, general knowledge, professional training and preparation for employment. Life-long learning will increasingly become the norm. This integrated and highly efficient education system will provide the constant supply of talent which Hong Kong needs as a worldclass city.

Universities are the cradle for nurturing our future leaders, the base for intellectual advancement as well as a key source of impetus for social development. And our universities have taken up these responsibilities with distinction. We must now create the conditions for our universities to further excel in both academic research and the quality of teaching so they can take on more demanding tasks and rise to greater challenges. The EC’s recommendations on the development of university education include reforming the university admission criteria, shortening secondary education to six years and extending the usual length of degree programmes to four years, expanding the transferable credit unit system, enhancing quality assurance and encouraging the establishment of private universities. Over the next two years, the Government will formulate its policies after considering these issues with the EC, the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the eight UGC-funded institutions.

2009-In view of the rapid development of higher education in
the Mainland and the region, we must review the positioning
of higher education in Hong Kong and formulate a long-term
development strategy. The University Grants Committee (UGC)
has commenced another Higher Education Review to examine
such areas as the vision and role of higher education in Hong
Kong, its development trend, quality assurance and the research
support strategy for the sector. The UGC aims to submit a report
to the Government in 2010

2011-In the face of intense global competition, increased
investment in research and development is crucial to enhancing
our competitiveness. The Government set up an $18 billion
Research Endowment Fund in 2009 as a long-term commitment
to promoting academic research in tertiary institutions. With the
support of this Fund, we have introduced the Theme-based
Research Scheme to finance research projects of strategic
importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong.

2011-In recent years, Hong Kong’s research activities in a
number of fields have attained international recognition. Our
universities are now among the top in the region and the world.
I propose to inject $5 billion into the Fund. Of that, $3 billion
will fund self-financing tertiary institutions on a competitive
basis to enhance academic and research development. The
investment income of the remaining $2 billion will replace the
recurrent provision of $100 million to the Research Grants
Council to provide stable research funding for UGC-funded
institutions.

副學士/增加專上學位

2000: In developed countries and some major cities in Asia, up to 60% of
senior secondary school graduates pursue tertiary education. For Hong Kong,
however, the rate is just about half that, not only are we lagging far behind,
but we are failing to meet the needs of a knowledge-based economy. It is
imperative we catch up. Our objective is that within ten years, 60% of our
senior secondary school leavers will receive tertiary education. By then, we
will need to provide about 28 000 additional places for higher education, bringing the total number to around 55 000.

In achieving this target, the Government will facilitate tertiary institutions, private enterprises and other organisations to provide options other than the traditional sixth form education, such as professional diploma courses and sub-degree courses. We will consult these organisations, examine the demand and allocate more resources by providing land and one-off loans to those institutions interested in offering such courses. We will further extend the scope of assistance offered to students by the Non-means Tested Loan Scheme and low-interest loan scheme, and will offer fee remission to the most needy students. We need to build a flexible higher education system that offers various channels and different modes of learning, so that everyone can pursue continuing education at different stages of life.

2001: increase the number of post-secondary places, so that 60% of our senior secondary school leavers can attain post-secondary education. We also need to improve the transition from secondary school to post-secondary education and to push ahead with reforms to our university system to nurture more outstanding post-secondary graduates

2001-Hong Kong lags behind developed countries in terms of average
educational level. At present, only 18% of the population aged 15 and above
has at least post-secondary education, while 48% have an education level of
Secondary Three or below. To catch the train of the New Economy, we must
hurry to increase the number of places above junior secondary level. In last
year’s Policy Address, I outlined our objective to double the number of senior
secondary school leavers receiving tertiary education from 30% to 60% within
ten years. In other words, we need to increase the number of tertiary education
places by about 30 000 within the next decade. This has been met with an
encouraging response from local tertiary institutions, which have provided a total
of 6 500 self-financing places this academic year, including higher diploma and
sub-degree courses. This is a good start.

2004-The proportion of secondary school graduates who could pursue further studies has increased from 30% a few years ago to 48%. To support economic restructuring, this proportion
will need to be increased. We have provided different avenues for further studies.
We are establishing a qualifications framework to provide learners with a clear
articulation ladder.

2010-We provide multiple and flexible pathways for our young
people. Degree programmes organised by 13 institutions aside,
many local post-secondary institutions offer sub-degree
programmes covering various disciplines. Youngsters have
many other options in continuing education and vocational
training.

2010-In addition, we propose to increase publicly-funded
first-year-first-degree places to 15 000 for each cohort from the
2012-13 academic year. Taking into account the views of the
University Grants Committee, we also recommend that senior
year intake places should be doubled progressively to 4 000 each
year to provide more articulation opportunities for sub-degree
graduates. The proposed additional places will involve an
additional annual expenditure of about $1 billion. Upon full
implementation, over 30% of our young people in the relevant
age group will have the chance to take self-financing or publiclyfunded
degree programmes. Including sub-degree places,
young people attending local post-secondary programmes will account for about 65% of the age group, more than double the
level of about 30% a decade ago.

2010-The community is concerned about the interest rate and
repayment arrangements for loans to post-secondary students.
The Government has commenced a review on all non-meanstested
loan schemes for post-secondary students. The review
covers the scope of eligible programmes, loan amounts, interest
rates and repayment arrangements under the schemes, as well
as measures to reduce the default rate. We are drawing up
detailed recommendations for further consultation with the
public at the end of this year.

2011-The community is concerned about the interest rate and
repayment arrangements for loans to post-secondary students.
The Government has commenced a review of non-means-tested
loan schemes. The review covers the scope of eligible
programmes, loan amounts, interest rates and repayment
arrangements under the schemes, as well as measures to reduce
the default rate. We will consult the public on the detailed
recommendations by the end of this year.

2014-From the 2015/16 academic year and in the triennium
that follows, the intake of senior-year undergraduate
places in University Grants Committee-funded
institutions will progressively increase by a total of
1 000 places so that 5 000 meritorious sub-degree
graduates will be able to articulate to subsidised
degree programmes each year by the 2018/19
academic year;

2014-In the past two academic years, all student loan borrowers
were given the option of starting the repayment of their student
loans one year after completing studies. The Government will
make it a standing arrangement to benefit about 23 000 students
each year.

334/四年大專教育(政府資助)

2001-The University Grants Committee is conducting a comprehensive
review of the future development of tertiary education. The Education
Commission is also looking closely at the broad direction of changing the
present three-year university degree structure to a four-year one, and the present
‘5+2’ secondary school structure to a ‘3+3’ system. The Education and
Manpower Bureau is examining the preparatory work for such changes, which
involves complex issues such as determining the demand for senior secondary
school places, assessing the demand and supply of teachers, identifying sites
for new schools and redesigning the curricula of senior secondary school and
first-year university programmes to enable a better bridging of academic courses

Four-year university degrees are an international norm. Extending the
duration of university programmes requires significant additional resources.
However, we believe that the community and the Government together are
capable of bearing the cost. We hope that a consensus can be reached soon on
all important issues relating to this matter. If it is decided to make a change,
we expect that reforms to the senior secondary and university structure can be
made within ten years.

2013 Education accounts for about one-fifth of total
government expenditure, the highest among all policy areas.
Since reunification, the Government has introduced many
education reform initiatives, leading to a notable enhancement of
education in Hong Kong in terms of both quality and quantity.
The New Senior Secondary academic structure has begun to bear
fruit and gained international recognition. The Universities and
Colleges Admissions Service of the United Kingdom has
confirmed that the tariff points awarded for the highest level of
the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination
are higher than those awarded for the highest grade in the
General Certificate of Education A Level or International
Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Also, Hong Kong Primary
Four students ranked first in reading literacy in the Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study 2011. Hong Kong also
ranked third in a recent global study by the Pearson Group on
education systems. With greater access to senior secondary and
post-secondary education, we expect that in two years, over onethird
of the relevant age cohort will have the opportunity to
pursue degree-level education. Taking sub-degree places into
account, nearly 70% of young people will have access to postsecondary
education. There have also been continuous
improvements to our student financial assistance schemes to
ensure that no student is deprived of education for lack of
financial means.

2014-In line with our youth policy of fostering a culture of
multi-faceted excellence, a $100 million scholarship
fund will be set up. Universities and tertiary
institutions will be encouraged to admit on a full
cost-recovery basis about 20 local students a year who
excel in sport, arts and community service starting
from the 2015/16 academic year. (多元卓越獎學金)

俾大陸生來港

2007-Attracting more outstanding students to study in Hong
Kong will enlarge our pool of talent and enhance the quality of
our population. It will also help create a diversified cultural and
learning environment, and broaden the horizons of our students.
The Government will introduce a package of measures which
includes increasing the admission quotas for non-local students
to local tertiary institutions, relaxing employment restrictions on
non-local students, as well as providing scholarships to
strengthen support to local and non-local students.

Non-local students taking full-time and locally-accredited
programmes at degree level or above will be allowed to take up
part-time jobs on campus and full-time summer jobs outside
campus without the prior approval of the Immigration
Department. These students are also free to take up study-related
internships arranged by their tertiary institutions. We will also
relax the restrictions on seeking employment after graduation
and the condition of stay during employment in Hong Kong.
Such measures will enhance our status as an education hub and
bring young, new and high quality talent into our population.

The large-scale development projects to be launched
require talented people from everywhere. Last year, 28 000
people from different corners of the globe came to work in Hong
Kong and settled here. Among them, about 5 500 came from the
Mainland. Global competition means that we have to compete
for markets as well as talent. Hong Kong’s future development
requires more talent from the Mainland and overseas. I will
modify the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme by relaxing the
restrictions on age limit and other prerequisites. We will also
actively promote the Scheme in order to attract more Mainland
and overseas talent to come and contribute to the development
of Hong Kong.

2009-On the development of education services, our objective
is to enhance Hong Kong’s status as a regional education hub,
boosting Hong Kong’s competitiveness and complementing the
future development of the Mainland. As announced earlier, we
have allocated four greenfield sites to four operators for
international school development. Looking forward, we will
explore the possibility of allowing Mainland senior secondary
students to study in Hong Kong. For example, we may allow
them to take short-term courses offered by our degree-awarding
tertiary institutions, or pursue senior secondary education at nonpublic
schools in Hong Kong.

2009-In recent years, the Government has introduced a series
of measures to internationalise our schools and institutions. As
a result, the number of non-local students in Hong Kong reached
9 200 in the 2008-09 school year, representing a rise of 16% over
the previous year. We will consider further relaxing the relevant
requirements by, for example, allowing Mainland students to
pursue studies in non-local programmes at degree level or above
in Hong Kong. Apart from targeting Mainland students, we will
encourage our higher education institutions to step up exchange
and promotion in Asia. An increase of non-local students will
provide a more international environment for local students to
broaden their horizons.

發展私立大學自費課程

2007-At present, there are three self-financing degree-awarding
tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, providing some 9 000 places
in total. We consider that the self-financing higher education
sector has room for further expansion and is an important
component of education services. To facilitate its development,
we have, as announced earlier, reserved two urban sites for
interested operators to provide self-financing degree
programmes. These two sites, one in Ho Man Tin and the other
in Wong Chuk Hang, are expected to provide some 4 000 places.
We will continue to identify other suitable sites for this purpose.
Meanwhile, we will take advantage of the new policy on
revitalising industrial buildings to enable institutions to run selffinancing
programmes. We will also provide loans to help
institutions meet the costs of purpose-built accommodation and
facilities. To this end, we propose to increase the total
commitment of the Start-up Loan Scheme by $2 billion.

Developing our education services will bolster the
pluralistic, international and professional outlook of Hong Kong,
and make the best use of social resources in the non-government
sector to provide more opportunities for local students to pursue
degree education.

2010-We will step up efforts to diversify our post-secondary
education. We propose to set up a fund with a total commitment
of $2.5 billion for the development of self-financing postsecondary
education. The fund will offer scholarships to students
of self-financing post-secondary programmes, and support
institutions to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

2014-We will study the feasibility of a new scheme to
subsidise up to 1 000 students per cohort to pursue
self-financing undergraduate programmes in
selected disciplines to meet Hong Kong’s manpower
needs. The scheme, if implemented, will benefit
three cohorts of students, and will then be reviewed
for its effectiveness;

2015-The community colleges of University Grants Committeefunded
institutions have experienced rapid growth and some
have accumulated large surpluses. We will ask the institutions to
critically review their financial position and consider ways to use
their surpluses to benefit their students, such as lowering tuition
fees and offering scholarships or bursaries for underprivileged
students.

其他非學術教育/職業先修/ 職業訓練局/ 生涯規劃

2004-We need to continue to promote training and retraining. Some of the
Vocational Training Council’s (VTC) courses have been criticised for not
meeting market demand. These have been improved. The VTC provided more
than 32 000 pre-vocational places and some 90 000 in-service training places
in the past school year. The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) provided over
100 000 places in 2003. Graduates from courses offered by the VTC and fulltime
ERB courses achieved an employment rate of 80% on average. These
training and retraining courses will be better oriented towards the needs of our
restructuring economy to increase the trainees’ employability.

2011-The Chinese Cuisine Training Institute under the VTC
provides training for those who wish to pursue a career in the
catering industry. The institute has made its name around the
world in just a decade. I propose to set up an International
Cuisine College under the VTC. The college will provide
training for people aspiring to become professional chefs
proficient in international cuisines. It will attract outstanding
members of the culinary profession from around the world, and
promote the development of related sectors, such as tourism,
catering, retail and wine trading. We expect it to be established
in 2014.

The VTC also offers a range of career-oriented
programmes to cater for young people’s diverse education needs.
It currently runs seven youth colleges offering employmentfocused
programmes to school leavers at Secondary 3 level or
above. Students may choose vocational streams that best suit
their abilities and interests. Upon completion of the programmes,
they can either seek employment or pursue further studies. We
propose to establish one more youth college to provide
specialised support for non-Chinese speaking students and those
with special educational needs, as well as alternative progression
pathways for young people. The new college is expected to
provide 420 additional places.

2011-Public expenditure on infrastructure will remain high in
the next few years. The construction output of the private sector
will also go up as a result of increased land supply. This will
open up opportunities for the construction industry but will also
pose a challenge to its manpower. Last year, we earmarked
$100 million for the Construction Industry Council to take
forward initiatives such as upgrading the skills of workers
through training and trade tests, and attracting more people to
join the industry through public education. These efforts have
started to deliver results. If necessary, we will allocate more
resources to strengthen such training.

2013-We will also continue to promote the Qualifications
Framework (QF). Apart from the Specification of Competency
Standards and the recently introduced Award Titles Scheme and
QF Credit, we will further explore the development of a credit
accumulation and transfer system, and foster collaboration with
the QFs of other areas. The Government will promote cooperation
between the industry-based Industry Training
Advisory Committees and the education and training providers.
This will ensure more relevant training opportunities to young
people and in-service personnel, with a view to integrating
education, training, business and employment seamlessly to
enable our young people to make early career planning. We will
also improve the quality assurance mechanisms for self-financed
programmes.


2014- Last week, I attended a celebratory gathering at the
Chinese Cuisine Training Institute to congratulate two teams of
Hong Kong chefs who brought glory home by winning two
international western culinary competitions held in Switzerland
and Korea. Nearly all 25 chefs of the winning teams were past
students of the Vocational Training Council (VTC). Their
outstanding achievements in the international competitions
confirm the Chinese proverb that “every trade has its masters”.
Over the past year, I have met many young people working or
receiving vocational training in different sectors such as beauty
services, information technology, design and construction.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, these young people all share
one thing in common with the chef teams: they strive to pursue
their interests and realise their potentials and are committed to
learning and making their dreams come true.

102. Mainstream education is not a straightjacket that fits all
young people as everyone has his or her own interests and
abilities. The Government should re-establish the positioning of
vocational education in our education system and guide the
younger generation in choosing their career.

103. The Government will set up a Task Force on Vocational
Education to map out a strategy to promote vocational education
in the community, and invite the VTC to draw up a strategic
development plan for its campuses to foster synergy and provide
state-of-the-art facilities pivotal to enhancing the image and
quality of vocational education.

In the short run, the Government will implement
measures to help young people with life planning and strengthen
vocational education in four ways.

2014-Fourth, the current Qualifications Framework Support
Schemes will end soon. After reviewing the effectiveness of the
schemes, the Government will set up a $1 billion endowment
fund, the investment income of which will be used to provide
long-term support for the sustainable development of the
Qualifications Framework.

2014-First, the EDB will increase the manpower of the Career
Guidance Team to provide holistic support to schools in
providing career guidance service and life planning education.
From the 2014/15 school year, public sector schools operating
classes at senior secondary levels will be provided with an
additional recurrent grant equivalent to the salary of a graduate
teacher to introduce more life planning education elements. In
parallel, the Government will encourage greater participation of
business establishments and engage more community resources
in the Business-School Partnership Programme. We will also
allocate additional resources to NGOs to enhance career
guidance for secondary students in collaboration with schools.

2014-Second, the Government will launch a pilot training and
support scheme to attract and retain talent for industries with a
keen demand for labour by integrating structured apprenticeship
training programmes with clear career progression pathways.
The Government and participating industries will provide a
grant or an allowance for apprentices in the first year of training
and the ensuing three years of apprenticeship. These industries
must undertake to employ trainees who have completed training
at a particular salary level and provide them with clear career
progression pathways. The VTC will be responsible for
implementing the pilot scheme, which will benefit 2 000 trainees.
107. Third, from the 2014/15 academic year, recurrent funding
will be allocated to the VTC to provide industrial attachment
opportunities for all students of higher diploma programmes and
students of some Diploma in Vocational Education programmes.
Over 9 000 students will benefit from the measure.

2015-Over 170 organisations have participated in the Business-
School Partnership Programme, which enhances students’
understanding of different trades and prepares them for future
employment through activities such as workplace orientation and
visits, mentorship and career experience programmes. In the
three years from the 2015/16 school year, the EDB will enhance,
reinforce and review the programme

2016- As pointed out in my previous two Policy Addresses,
young people can develop their interests and realise their
potential through vocational education. The Government has
accepted all the recommendations of the Task Force on
Promotion of Vocational Education and will actively consider
how to implement them. The recommendations include fully
subsidising Applied Learning courses by secondary schools,
extending the Pilot Training and Support Scheme to benefit two
more cohorts of 2 000 students in total, and supporting major
vocational and professional education and training providers to
organise large-scale skills competitions to select representatives
of Hong Kong to take part in world skills competitions.

2016-The Government will earmark a site in the urban district
to develop a Vocational Training Council campus with adequate
capacity and state-of-the-art facilities.

返大陸讀書/交流

2014-A Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme will內地大學升學資助計劃
be introduced so that students in need pursuing
studies under the scheme for the Admission of Hong
Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education
Institutions may receive a means-tested grant of up
to $15,000 per year during their studies. The scheme
is not subject to any quota. It will benefit three
cohorts of students, and will then be reviewed for its
effectiveness;

2014-The Government is actively exploring the feasibility of
extending the International Youth Exchange Programme to more
places. In collaboration with the Commission on Youth, the
Home Affairs Bureau also sponsors Mainland exchange and
internship programmes for young people arranged by
community organisations. Places offered under these schemes
will increase from the current 9 600 to 14 000 next year.[ 青年內地交流資助計劃/ 青年內地實習資助計劃]

2016- The Education Bureau will advance its review of ways to
extend the scope of the subsidy of the Mainland University Study
Subsidy Scheme, with a view to assisting more students with
financial needs to pursue further studies in the Mainland.

去外地讀書/ 交流/工作假期

2014-A new scholarship scheme will be implemented to
support up to 100 outstanding local students each
cohort to pursue studies in renowned universities
outside Hong Kong, with a view to nurturing a
diversified pool of top talent to spur Hong Kong’s
development. Apart from a scholarship of up to
$250,000, students in need will also receive a meanstested
bursary of up to $200,000 each year. The
scheme will benefit three cohorts of students, and
will then be reviewed for its effectiveness;

2014-To ensure that no student will be denied the
opportunities to fully experience diversified post-secondary
student life because of lack of means, the Government will: (i)
support about 9 800 students in need to participate in exchange
programmes outside Hong Kong selected on a merit basis and
arranged by institutions; and, (ii) invite the CCF Task Force to
consider providing a hostel subsidy for needy undergraduate
students who reside in hostels and increase the academic
expenses grant for students in need pursuing eligible selffinancing
post-secondary programmes.


2014-The Working Holiday Scheme between Hong Kong and
other countries has proved very popular among young people.
To date, more than 30 000 young people have taken up short-term
employment while holidaying in various countries. The
Government will explore similar arrangements with more
countries

2015-The Government will continue to fine-tune the existing
exchange and internship programmes for young people and
increase funding for these programmes. We will work in
collaboration with the United Nations Volunteers and local
voluntary agencies to allow undergraduates to participate in the
volunteer services of the United Nations agencies in Southeast
Asia. We will also regularise the services of the Service Corps
and strengthen co-operation with Guangdong Province on
volunteerism, so that our young people will have more
opportunities to help the disadvantaged outside Hong Kong.

6. 畢業搵工

終身學習/工作轉型/僱員再培訓/解決失業問題

1998-There is great concern in the community for the problems faced by the unemployed. I share that concern, and the Government will do its utmost to improve the prospects of all our citizens who are looking for work. As well as implementing to the full measures developed by the Task Force on Employment, we will boost our support networks for the jobless, in particular young people, with the aim of helping them to find work more quickly. We will strengthen the Job Matching Programme in the Labour Department and upgrade our re-training services. Realistically, the employment situation will not improve until our economy starts to recover. We will nonetheless work hard to maximise opportunities for all those currently without a job, by bringing forward the start date for public works projects and promoting the tourism industry so as to help generate more job openings in the relevant sectors. I hope that the unemployed will not become discouraged and that they will make the best use of the training opportunities which the Government and other organisations provide, in order to equip themselves with new skills. I am sure that by doing so they will be able to find work.


1999: In addition, the focus of our education system should be on cultivation, not elimination, and examinations should not be reduced to a mechanism of producing losers. Even for those who fail exams, there should be proper channels for continuous learning in our system. Education should not be limited to formal schooling. Rather, it should include on-the-job training and continuing education. I consider it necessary to put in place specific measures to ensure that all our young people, regardless of qualifications and abilities, are given the opportunity of continuous learning

1999; If Hong Kong wishes to become a knowledge-based economy in the information age, we must continue to innovate and change. This is why we must embrace “life-long learning”. School education should aim at fostering in students an interest and an ability in learning so that they are able to acquire knowledge throughout their lives and respond effectively to changing circumstances.

1999: Our higher education institutions and the Open University are each adopting different measures to promote life-long learning. At present, over 200 000 Hong Kong citizens are already engaged in some form of further studies in these institutions. To encourage this trend, we have made available various forms of financial support. Starting from the 2000-2001 academic year, we will further extend the Non-Means Tested Loan Scheme to include students on self-financing courses in Government-funded tertiary institutions and post-secondary courses in the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. This will benefit some 80 000 students.

1998- Because of the changing needs of society and the economy, the type of manpower required in Hong Kong will vary at different stages of our development. We must review our manpower and training policies carefully so as to ensure that Hong Kong has a well-trained, adaptable and versatile workforce which can meet the needs of the economy and contribute to our overall competitiveness. In 1999 we will complete a study of manpower forecasting best practice with a view to developing a forecast model which will serve our needs for the next ten years. We will continue to study the manpower and training needs of our key industries, focusing in the coming year on the information technology sector.

With the aim of helping our workforce acquire new skills or upgrade their existing skills, we will work with the Vocational Training Council (VTC) and the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) to assist these organisations in improving their services. In this regard, the VTC proposes to unify the existing two Technical Colleges and seven Technical Institutes by the year 2002 to form a single academic and training institution, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. The new Institute will provide courses which will be more attuned to the needs of the economy, and will also promote the image of vocational education and training as an attractive and viable alternative to traditional academic education.

For the ERB, we will give the Board a grant of $500 million to enable it to expand its training capacity and improve the quality of its courses for the unemployed. In consultation with employers, the ERB will identify more job vacancies for special tailor-made training at the employer's workplace which in addition to vital working experience, also gives trainees a re-training allowance and 12 months' post-employment follow-up service.

To help ensure that both employed and unemployed people can benefit from a well-structured education and training ladder, we will develop a qualifications framework for programmes provided by the VTC and the ERB. This will provide an objective yardstick for assessing the skills standards of trainees and will help secure employers' confidence in and recognition of the qualifications. We aim to draw up initial proposals by the end of 1999.

2000: In recent years, we have seen significant expansion of continuing education. In future, we will co-operate with the education, industrial and commercial sectors to develop a life-long learning ladder, and study the implications of establishing a qualifications framework and programme standards. This will help maintain the confidence of employers and professional bodies in the qualifications awarded by the training providers. In the coming three years, the Government will provide $50 million to enhance its training programme for civil servants and encourage them to pursue continuous and life-long learning. Indeed, I would urge all employers to encourage their staff to continue their learning and to allow them time for it. I have asked the Financial Secretary to consider raising the maximum selfeducation deduction for Salaries Tax when preparing the Budget for the coming year.

2001: continue promoting life-long learning, develop it into a trend for others to follow, and encourage Hong Kong people to actively enhance their own knowledge and skills, and participate in the development of the knowledge-based economy. We must meet these three targets if our education system is to truly and effectively lend support to successful economic restructuring.

2001-From what I have just said, you will appreciate that the Government
is mobilising considerable resources to improve the levels of basic and tertiary
education, in terms of quality and quantity. At the same time, the Government
will set aside $5 billion to subsidise those with learning aspirations to pursue
continuing education and training programmes. The aim is to help people to
pursue continuous learning, thereby preparing us for the knowledge-based
economy. Details of the plan, such as eligibility criteria and the maximum
subsidy, will be announced after further public consultations. At present, many
people have already enrolled in various courses in their spare time. This new
subsidy will encourage this trend and help many more people to upgrade
themselves.

2004-It is imperative for Hong Kong to continue developing tertiary
education. We should encourage tertiary institutions to take the initiative to
specialise in order to achieve excellence. In 2002, we established the Continuing
Education Fund with $5 billion to promote life-long learning. To pursue
continuing education, many people in Hong Kong are now eagerly enrolling
themselves at the Open University, the extra-mural programmes of other universities, as well as a variety of other programmes.

2004-Though Hong Kong’s economy is showing signs of recovery, many
people, including some from the middle class, still suffer from unemployment,
job insecurity and other pains brought about by economic adjustments. In the
transition to a knowledge-based economy, we need to strengthen training and
retraining before economic growth can bring about increased employment.


2004-In the past, we have introduced a package of temporary jobs and skills
enhancement opportunities. Most of the short-term jobs are due to expire by
March. Although the unemployment rate is declining and the employment
situation is improving, we are determined to set aside, even as we strive to
reduce the fiscal deficit, about $1.2 billion to implement three employment
measures. First, we will extend about 11 000 temporary jobs; second, we will
extend the Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme by two years to place
into employment 10 000 young people aged 15 to 24; and third, we will
introduce a one-year trial scheme to assist 1 000 young people to become selfemployed.

2004-We are seriously concerned about continuing learning and employment
for young people. The Youth Pre-employment Training Programme has provided
practical support for those leaving school and seeking employment, and will
definitely continue. We have accepted the recommendations of the Commission
on Youth and will set up an inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary task force
to be responsible for overseeing the implementation of various youth training
and employment programmes. We will establish a Youth Sustainable
Development and Employment Fund to promote trial schemes and exploit
opportunities for training, placement and employment.

2004-The Government has vigorously stepped up its employment service for
job seekers. Last year, the 11 job centres of the Labour Department placed
66 000 persons in employment. We will continue with our Special Incentive
Allowance Scheme for Local Domestic Helpers. We will review the scheme and
make improvements if necessary.

2004-We fully appreciate the hardship and feelings of those who are
unemployed and will try our utmost to help them enter the job market. But we
also understand that real economic growth is the key to effectively tackling
structural unemployment. For example, the tourism sector is becoming more
prosperous. New hotels gradually coming on stream over the next five years will
provide not only many jobs for construction and decoration projects but also
some 13 000 new service-related jobs. The capital works programme for the next
five years will sustain the employment of about 41 000 construction workers
annually, apart from professional and technical personnel. The Government will
actively remove obstacles to the development of local businesses and encourage
corporate investment. We are determined to crack down on the employment of
illegal workers to safeguard job opportunities for the local workforce. We will
also pay attention to whether those working on Government contracts are
receiving a reasonable wage.



青年發展基金

2015-The Government will set up a $300 million Youth
Development Fund to support innovative youth development
activities which are not covered by existing schemes, including
subsidy in the form of matching funds for NGOs to assist young
people in starting their own business. Details such as eligibility
criteria, approval procedures and allocation priority of the fund
will be devised after consulting the Commission on Youth.

2016-Following completion of the preparatory work, the Youth Development Fund will be launched after funding approval is given by this Council. The fund will mainly help, on a matching basis, young people who want to
start their own business.

7. 其他:

國際學校

2007-It is important for us to develop a vibrant international
school sector to underpin our aspiration to be a global metropolis
and fortify our status as a regional education hub. We will make
available a number of greenfield sites at nominal premium for
the development of new international schools or the expansion
of existing schools with interest-free capital works assistance
loans. We will study the feasibility of allowing the international
school sector to develop hostel facilities on a trial basis, with a
view to attracting students from different parts of the world.

青年宿舍

2014-The Government will continue to implement the Youth
Hostel Scheme. In addition to the two projects in Sheung Wan
and Tai Po, we will launch two more projects in Mong Kok and
Jordan. Together, the four projects are expected to provide about
1 000 hostel places.

2015-The four youth hostel projects are being progressively
implemented. The Government will seek funding approval as
soon as possible to take forward the two projects at Sheung Wan
and Tai Po, while advance preparation works are being carried
out for two projects at Mong Kok and Jordan. At the same time,
we will actively assist other interested non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) with the early launch of more new projects.


少年警訊
2016-The Police will adopt a host of measures to enhance the
Junior Police Call and youth work, including the setting up of a
Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Centre and Integrated
Youth Training Camp at Pat Heung. The centre is expected to
start operation next year and will provide services for Junior
Police Call members, students, youth organisations, ethnic
minorities and Senior Police Call members. In addition, the
Police plan to increase the number of school liaison officers