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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, on the consultation document of "Reforming the Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education - Actions for Investing in the Future" in the Legislative Council Meeting today (October 20):

Madam President,

All parents hope to see a bright future for their children.

All school heads and teachers hope to see success in their students.

The future of Hong Kong hinges on our younger generation.

A lot of people are concerned about education and are willing to invest in our future. Some people asked me why we have to reform our academic structure. To put it simply, the purposes of our senior secondary education and higher education reform are:

¡§All for students.

For the good of students.¡¨

With the implementation of the academic reform, we hope to achieve the following:

* To provide all students with the opportunity to receive 3-year senior secondary education.

* To cater for the learning needs of all students, so that students with different aptitudes, interests and abilities can give full play to their potential.

* To provide greater learning space and widen students' knowledge base for all-round development.

* To enable a better articulation to the pathways for further learning and work so that every student can make a success.

* To provide a 4-year programme in university education for a more balanced and all-round development of students.

Secondary Six for All Students

At present, only about one-third of S5 graduates continue their studies in S6. We have to provide all students will an opportunity to study 3 years at the senior end of the secondary school. This will enable them to be better prepared for work or further learning in the rapidly changing knowledge-based society, and to cope with the challenges of the 21st Century.

A More Diversified Senior Secondary Curriculum

Every student is a unique individual with different personality and interests. The new senior secondary curriculum will help strengthen students' generic skills including biliterate and trilingual fluencies, IT skills as well as self-learning skills. It also caters for the different learning needs, aptitudes and interests of students by providing diversification, including career-oriented studies as choices to students. This will help them develop their potential and become knowledgeable and responsible citizens.

Broadened Learning Space

With the adoption of the "3+3" academic structure in secondary schools, students will receive more coherent and diversified senior secondary education. This will also facilitate the development of a curriculum which is flexible and cross-disciplinary. In order to help students widen their horizons and consolidate their knowledge base, we propose that the new senior secondary curriculum will have the following components: four core subjects, i.e. Chinese, English, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, two or three elective subjects, and other learning experiences. The new curriculum will help students strengthen their language and mathematical abilities and broaden their knowledge base. Their communication, analytical, critical thinking, independent learning and interpersonal skills will also be improved.

As regards assessment, it is proposed that the current HKCEE and HKALE will be replaced by a new public examination, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education. With one less public examination, the pressure on students and teachers will be reduced and the learning time and space as well as the learning effectiveness will be increased. Furthermore, we propose that school-based assessment should be strengthened to give a more comprehensive assessment of students' learning.

Multiple Pathways for Students

The new senior secondary curriculum will better prepare students for further learning and work. It helps students to develop various potentials and nurture the spirit for continuous and lifelong learning. The "3+3+4" academic structure will enable a better articulation with other major international systems, as well as with the local post-secondary and tertiary institutions, making it easier for students to pursue their academic, professional or vocational education and training or to join the workforce and embark on the journey to success.

A Balanced and Comprehensive University Education

A four-year undergraduate programme gives universities more time and space to provide a broader and more diversified curriculum and learning experiences such as overseas exchange. This will widen students' horizons and expose them to both specialized and broad knowledge for a more balanced whole-person development.

Planning a New Academic Structure Together

After years of deliberations and discussions, the education sector and the community have generally come to the consensus that the "3+3+4" academic structure will serve the best interest of students. However, substantial resources are needed for the reform, and arduous preparation will be involved. Detailed planning is therefore necessary with full support and participation from the education sector and the public.

We hope to plan this far-reaching new academic structure together with the community. We now launch a three-month consultation and hope that the education sector and the community will actively express their opinions regarding the design blueprint, timing of implementation and financing arrangements for the new academic structure.

Our initial discussion with the education sector has indicated that a minimum lead-time of 4 years is required for the new academic structure to commence. In other words, the new senior secondary academic structure will be implemented in September 2008 at the earliest and pupils who are studying in P6 this year will be the first cohort studying under the "3+3+4" academic structure.

Concerted Efforts of the Education Sector

While resolution and perseverance are needed to realize education aspirations, we understand that well-planned supporting measures and implementation details are also the key for success. With their professionalism and dedication to education, I am fully confident that our secondary school and university staff will meet the needs of academic reform. The Government will work hand in hand with the education sector in dealing with various matters related to the academic structure reform. We will also create space for teachers and provide professional development to enable smooth implementation of the reform.

Sharing the Commitment and Building the Future Together

The government will continue to invest heavily in education and ensure that no student would be deprived of the opportunity to study through lack of means. However, the government has been running an operating deficit budget since 1998/99. The academic structure reform involves tremendous expenditure. We hope that a sound and feasible financing arrangement can be agreed on through community discussion.

We estimate that the non-recurrent expenditure for the new academic structure will be about $6.7 billion, which covers development of the new curriculum, professional development for teachers, provision of additional university complexes and facilities, and increase in the number of classes during the transitional period. The Government stands ready to bear all the non-recurrent expenditure.

As regards recurrent expenditure, we now estimate that an additional year of university studies will cost at least an extra $1.8 billion each year. We propose that a shared funding arrangement be adopted, namely, the parents will pay higher tuition fees while the extra recurrent expenditure will be borne by the whole community through the general revenue of the Government.

The "3+3+4" academic structure will bring about impressive and long-term benefits to our younger generation and the whole community. It is a highly rewarding social investment. We need very much the support of parents and the community to endorse the principle of shared funding to ensure the smooth implementation of the reform.

All for Students

¡§To educate all without exception and teach according to the students' abilities" is not an unreachable goal for education. We have the following common goals: to provide all students with the opportunity to receive a higher level of education, and to provide them with a more suitable curriculum according to their individual needs and abilities so as to pave way for their success. There is now a consensus on the future direction of education. The question is whether we are willing to make joint efforts and commitment. The implementation of reform will inevitably bring about many challenges and involves complicated issues that will have lasting implications. However, I am sure we can create a better future for our younger generation if we always have the students' well-being as our top priority and make concerted efforts to develop our new academic structure.

End/Wednesday, October 20, 2004

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