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The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, said today (Wednesday) education will continue to be the single biggest item of recurrent expenditure in 1999/2000.

The total recurrent spending in this area would rise to $44 billion despite the economic downturn, he said.

Mr Tung said in his second Policy Address that good education was the starting point for the development of an enlightened, knowledge-based society.

"To take Hong Kong forward in an increasingly competitive world, we must give education top priority," he added.

The recent review of educational advisory bodies had re-affirmed the Education Commission's leadership role in co-ordinating the work of these bodies in helping the Government to set a strategic direction for education policy, Mr Tung said.

Shortly after the 1997 Policy Address, the Education Commission began a review of the structure of the entire formal education system, from pre-primary to tertiary level.

These included the overall aims of education and how they related to the nature and duration of the various stages in the system, from pre-primary to tertiary level. The review would also look at issues related to the curriculum and to methods of assessing academic achievement.

While noting that the Commission's work in this regard was of great importance, Mr Tung said that he looked forward to receiving its preliminary findings in 1999.

On the review of the management and organisation of the Education Department, Mr Tung said that a public consultation on the review findings began in July.

The main review findings showed that the Department should be re-structured to allow it to focus more clearly on service to its key clients, namely the schools, students and the community, that its professionalism should be enhanced, in particular by drawing on the expertise of the education sector, and that it should devolve more responsibility to schools with a view to improving their management.

Mr Tung attached great importance to this exercise, saying that once the public's comment on these findings were received, detailed plans would be drawn up in early 1999 to implement the necessary changes.

End/Wednesday, October 7, 1998

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