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Following is a speech by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mrs Fanny Law, at the opening ceremony of the International Vocational Education and Training Association (IVETA) Conference 2000 today (August 7):
Dr Lasonen, Professor Zhong, Mr Yeung, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is both an honor and my pleasure to speak at the opening of IVETA Conference 2000, which draws together experts in the field from all over the world. Hong Kong is proud to host the first IVETA Conference in the new millennium and, on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, I welcome all of you who have traveled a long way to Hong Kong.
The Information Age
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The 21st century is described as the Information Age, and is widely predicted to be a period of change with the emergence of new technologies and increased globalization, as information flows freely across sovereign boundaries. Whereas wealth was founded on "land" in the Age of Agriculture, and was diversified into three factors of production: "land, labor and capital" in the Industrial Age, the primary resource in the Information Age is "knowledge".
To some, in particular those who are less well educated, the advent of the Information Age is threatening as new technologies replace old skills, and new paradigms overtake traditional practices, at an unprecedented pace. There is a silver lining to all these. Unlike land and labor, of which there is a finite supply, the supply of knowledge is unlimited and inexhaustible. New technologies will revolutionalize the delivery of knowledge and the mode of learning in a way which will broaden the access to knowledge and provide a level playing field for all.
In the competitive Information Age - an era depicted by the futurist Alvin Toffler as the third wave of economic transformation in human history -- the big brother no longer can rule the world through centralised information control. With internet, information easily infiltrates through barriers of language, race and culture, transcending social class and organizational hierarchy.
The traditional education system, which sees teaching as a factory activity, and young human beings as products to be processed in a standardized way, is no longer capable of developing the human capital needed to compete in the Information Age. Instead, education must nurture the multiple intelligences that Mother Nature has endowed in every one of us in a variety of forms, e.g. creativity, spatial agility, and warmth of personality. The social landscape holds promises for more social justice and opportuntiies for all.
At this time of transition between the second and third wave of economic development, it is most befitting that IVETA should choose "Vocational Education and Training for Lifelong Learning in the Information Era" as the theme for this millennium conference. The title embraces two important concepts - lifelong learning and information technology.
I shall share with you the perspectives of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on these two subjects.
Lifelong Learning
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Education is top on the agenda of the HKSAR Government. It is also the single largest item of expenditure, with an annual allocation of US$7 billion, and making up 22.3 per cent of the government budget in the current financial year. We provide nine years of free and universal education from the age of six. At the age of fifteen, about 90 per cent of our students continue their education in mainstream schools; the rest find their way into vocational training or the workplace.
Faced with the challenges of a knowledge society, our education system is undergoing a comprehensive review, covering the academic structure, the curriculum, assessment and pedagogy. The aim is to develop an education system which caters for diverse learning needs, provides opportunities for all, encourages self-learning, celebrates success, and rewards hard work. We wish our students to enjoy learning, and to learn to live, to do, to learn and to be.
Consistent with the over-arching education objectives, and to meet the rapidly changing market demands, our approach to vocational education and training also changes. While equipping students with up-to-date industry-specific skills is still necessary to meet job requirements, this has to be balanced with the need to develop in our young people the ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances, and the aptitude for lifelong learning. The Vocational Training Council (VTC), as the key provider of vocational education in Hong Kong, has fully taken on board the demands of a knowledge society, and introduced training modules on the core generic skills of communication, numeracy and information technology in the comprehensive certificate and foundation courses on vocational education.
A survey conducted by the University Grants Committee last year showed that 370,000 people, or about one-tenth of our working population, had attended continuing education courses at the equivalent of tertiary education. Another 330,000 people enrolled in continuing education courses at lower levels. This is an encouraging sign. Despite increased workload and longer working hours at a time of financial stringency, people of Hong Kong are still eager to learn in order to keep pace with changing demands. This is the Hong Kong spirit which has kept the city afloat and thriving, despite the economic setback in recent years.
However, we are not complacent. To promote lifelong learning, we recently launched a comprehensive database on continuing education, accessible through the internet, so as to help those who are interested in further studies to identify courses that best suit their personal interests and development needs. The latest count shows that nearly 600 institutions currently provide more than 5 000 courses. Vocational education and training feature prominently among them.
To ensure that no one is deprived of lifelong learning for lack of financial means, we provide non-means tested loans to students of continuing education and professional courses. Furthermore, we are actively considering a flexible and open system for mutual recognition of qualifications among training providers, and the development of a qualifications ladder. A comprehensive qualifications and accreditation framework will entail mammoth tasks. We shall adopt a more practical approach by making a start in selected areas.
Information Technology
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Turning now to information technology, the HKSAR Government launched the "Digital 21" IT strategy in November 1998. The strategy encompasses four strands, namely, developing a high capacity telecommunications network; establishing an information infrastructure with an open and common interface for secure electronic transactions; equipping our people with the know-how to use IT; and building Hong Kong's capacity to become an internet hub in the Asia Pacific region.
I shall focus on manpower development. Under a five-year strategy on IT in education, the Government has committed US$4 billion for capital investment and US$70 million per annum from 1999 onwards. Our vision is to turn schools into dynamic and innovative places of learning where students can become motivated, inquisitive and creative learners. Today, all our schools are connected to the internet, our teachers are each provided with a personal e-mail account and are undergoing IT training at three different levels. We have developed IT learning targets for students at different stages, and are pleased to see students responding enthusiastically to the use of IT, and acquiring a high level of proficiency. Last year, Hong Kong students won a silver award in the international internet-based education program, the ThinkQuest, and two silver and one bronze medals in the International Olympiad in Informatics.
However, like other economies, Hong Kong is faced with an acute shortage of IT practitioners. Following a detailed analysis of IT manpower requirements, we have formulated a manpower strategy which aims to increase progressively the supply of IT manpower, enhance the range and relevance of IT training, improve their timeliness and flexibility, strengthen the link between employers and training providers, and improve the manpower forecasting method.
To increase the supply of IT practitioners in the short-term, the Government granted US$23 million to the Vocational Training Council to upgrade its IT infrastructure and provide intensive training programmes over a three-year period. To carry out this mission, the VTC has established an Information Technology Training and Development Centre, and developed into an e-learning portal which will extend its reach to benefit more students. In response to industry feedback, and with active input from market players in curriculum design, the VTC launched a series of IT Assistant courses this year to meet market demands.
The market-driven approach and close collaboration with industry, as exemplified by the IT Assistant course, points a new direction for vocational education and training in Hong Kong which will be more responsive to market trends. Training providers are expected to work more closely with and better understand the needs of employers. This is important to ensure the relevance and timeliness of vocational education and training in the rapidly changing environment of the Information Age.
Concluding Remarks
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Hong Kong is not alone in facing these challenges, and there is much to be gained from sharing experiences in an international forum such as this. I congratulate the VTC for organizing this conference, and wish all you find the discussions in the next few days stimulating and fruitful. To our guests from overseas, I hope you will find time to experience this colorful and vibrant city, and have a memorable stay in Hong Kong. I also look forward to welcoming you back.
Thank you.
End/Monday, August 7, 2000
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