Report released to map out new academic structure

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The Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) today (May 18) published the report on "The New Academic Structure for Senior Secondary Education and Higher Education ? Action Plan for Investing in the Future of Hong Kong", mapping out the way forward for implementation of reform.

Speaking at the Legislative Council today, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, said there was a clear and overwhelming support for the new academic structure. This reflected the consensus among the Hong Kong community to continuously invest in our young people and improve the opportunities for participation in quality education, he said.

"To ensure a smooth transition, we see the need for schools, teachers and concerned parties to be professionally and psychologically prepared for the changes. On balance, we have decided to introduce the new academic structure in the 2009/10 school year. That means that current Primary Five students will be the first cohort to benefit from the new senior secondary education," Prof Li said.

The revised timetable will allow one more year, as compared with the original proposal, for professional preparation of schools and teachers, and ensure a smooth implementation.

"We are committed to providing the necessary support during the preparation years as well as improving the recurrent resources for schools and teachers to ensure the new academic structure is a success.

"The Government plans to invest $7.9 billion, compared to $6.7 billion as originally proposed, to meet the preparation costs for the new academic structure. We have also committed a recurrent investment of $2 billion when the new system is up and running," Prof Li said.

The EMB will ensure sufficient professional development programmes are provided to equip the school management and teachers to implement the new senior secondary curriculum.

New grants including a Senior Secondary Curriculum Support Grant and a Diversity Learning Grant and an improved teacher-to-class ratio will be provided to support schools to offer a diversified curriculum including Liberal Studies and Career-oriented Studies (COS). Additional resources will be made available to strengthen the support for students with special educational needs (SEN) at senior secondary levels.

The second stage consultation on the curriculum and assessment frameworks of new senior secondary subjects will begin in June this year.

"We will also continue dialogue with key stakeholders on specific issues requiring further development to particularly ensure that we cater properly for students with SEN and that new COS are of the highest quality," Prof Li said.

"The proposed academic structure will provide a landmark development opportunity for upgrading the quality of our education as well as our people, especially the younger generation. We need the consensus of the wider community in bringing forward the necessary reform that will nurture the talent that makes Hong Kong a world city."

The report can be accessed on the EMB website (http://www.emb.gov.hk) or collected at all District Offices.

Ends/Wednesday, May 18, 2005

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