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Government to seek views on future senior secondary and higher education academic structure

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The Education and Manpower Bureau will seek community feedback over the next three months on the design blueprint, timing of implementation and financial arrangements for reforming the academic structure for senior secondary and higher education.

The "3+3+4" academic system will comprise a three-year junior and three-year senior secondary education and a four-year undergraduate degree, compared with the current "3+2+2+3" structure (Secondary One to Three, Secondary Four to Five, Secondary Six to Seven plus a three-year undergraduate degree).

Speaking at a Legislative Council meeting today (October 20) to announce a document outlining the reform as "Actions for Investing in the Future", the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur KC Li, said that after years of deliberations and discussions, the education sector and the community at large agreed that the "3+3+4" academic structure served the best interests of students.

"Only about one-third of Secondary Five graduates can now continue their studies in Secondary Six. We have to provide enough places to ensure all students will have the opportunity to receive three-year aided senior secondary education. This will enable them to be better prepared for work or further learning. They can also develop in the rapidly changing knowledge-based society, and cope with the challenges of the 21st Century," Professor Li said.

"The new senior secondary curriculum will help strengthen students' generic skills, including biliterate and trilingual, information technology and self-learning skills. It also caters for the different learning needs, aptitudes and interests of students. By providing a more diversified curriculum, including career-oriented studies, we can allow students to choose subjects that they are interested in. This will help them develop their full potential.

"In regard to assessment, the proposal is for the current Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination to be replaced by a new public examination, the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education," Professor Li said.

"With the elimination of one 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."

It is also proposed that school-based assessment be introduced to give a more comprehensive assessment of students' abilities.

Professor Li said at a press conference afterwards that the new academic structure would articulate better with the pathways for further studies and work so that every student would have the opportunity to succeed.

"The '3+3+4' academic structure will allow Hong Kong a better articulation with the mainstream international academic structures. The new system also provides articulation with the local post-secondary and tertiary institutions so that students may pursue their academic, professional or vocational education and training, or join the workforce and embark on a journey to success," he said.

"A four-year undergraduate programme will enable the universities to have more time and space to provide a broader and more diversified curriculum and learning experience, such as overseas exchange, to widen students' horizons so as to enable them to have specialised and broad knowledge and attain more balanced and all-round development."

It is estimated that the non-recurrent expenditure for the new academic structure will be about $6.7 billion, and an additional year of university studies will cost at least an extra $1.8 billion each year.

Professor Li stressed that the Government would continue to invest heavily in education. However, the Government had been running an operating deficit budget since 1998-99. The academic reform would involve tremendous expenditure and the Government hoped that a sound and feasible financing arrangement could be made through community discussion.

The Government would bear all the non-recurrent expenditure and suggested the extra recurrent expenditure be met by tuition fees and government funding.

Professor Li said that the Government would continue to provide assistance to students in financial hardship and ensure no student would be deprived of the opportunity to study through lack of means.

Under the new senior secondary system, students will no longer be confined and streamed into arts, science, commercial or technical studies. All students will pursue a programme of study made up of three components - core subjects, elective subjects and other learning experiences that cater for their different needs, interests, aptitude and abilities.

The core subjects of Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies will account for 45-55% of the total lesson time. Another 20-30% will be earmarked for students to choose two or three elective subjects. These may include one or more career-oriented subjects offered in areas like Business, Arts and Media, Design, Services, Performing Arts, Information Technology, Engineering, Food and Production, or Leisure, Tourism and Hospitality.

To meet important non-academic goals, schools will make good use of the remaining lesson time (15-35%) to provide students with learning opportunities that foster moral and civic education, involve community service or work-related experiences such as job attachment and include aesthetic and physical activities.

To lay a solid foundation for the new academic system, the bureau will strengthen support measures for teachers and schools. This includes the promotion of professional development of teachers through tailor-made and timely programmes, school-based staff development and support.

A minimum lead time of four years is necessary to have the critical conditions for reform in place. Assuming that the new three-year senior secondary education will be implemented in September, 2008, the first cohort of students will proceed to study their four-year first degree at university in September, 2011.

The full text of the document and other supporting papers will be uploaded onto EMB's website (http://www.emb.gov.hk) today. The public can also obtain copies of the document at various District Offices tomorrow (October 21).

The bureau welcomes feedback from the community on the proposed academic structure. Comments and suggestions can be sent on or before January 19, 2005, by email (cdchk@emb.gov.hk), by fax (2573 5299 or 2575 4318), or by post to the Council and Secondary Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education and Manpower Bureau, 13/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Ends/Wednesday, October 20, 2004

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