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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Man-kwong and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (October 31):
Question:
In consultation with the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and tertiary institutions, the Government formulated in 2001 a set of common descriptors for associate degree ("AD") programmes, in which the programme objectives, entry requirements, exit qualifications, etc. were outlined. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it knows if there have been cases, in the past three and the current school years, in which tertiary institutions did not adhere to the entry requirements set out in the common descriptors, such as admitting students who did not obtain a pass in the English or Chinese subjects in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination or a pass in one subject in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination or equivalent, admitting students who had not matriculated to a two-year curriculum, and allowing matriculants to proceed directly to the second year of a two-year curriculum; together with a breakdown by institution, the entry requirements not adhered to and course duration;
(b) whether currently, the institutions are still required to adhere to the relevant entry requirements when admitting students for AD programmes; if so, how the relevant authorities follow up cases in which the tertiary institutions have failed to adhere to such requirements; if adherence is no longer required, when this began and the reasons for that; and
(c) whether it will conduct a review on the admission and exit standards for AD programmes; if it will, of the timetable of the review; if not, how it ensures that graduates conferred with the relevant qualifications have achieved the necessary academic and professional standards?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) In 2001, the Government, together with the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions (FCE), jointly formulated a set of common descriptors for Associate Degree (AD) programmes. The entry requirements specified in the common descriptors are as follows:
(A) AD programmes should generally adopt the principle of "lenient entry, stringent exit".
(B) For a two-year curriculum, the proposed normal minimum entry requirements are:
(1) attain a pass in one A Level subject or an equivalent number of AS Level subjects in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE), and
(i) attain 5 passes (including English and Chinese subjects) in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) conducted before 2007; or
(ii) attain 3 passes plus Level 2 or above in English and Chinese subjects in HKCEE conducted in or after 2007;
(2) satisfactory completion of a pre-AD programme; or
(3) mature students.
(C) For a three-year curriculum, the proposed normal minimum entry requirements are:
(1) attain 5 passes (including English and Chinese subjects) in HKCEE conducted before 2007;
(2) attain 3 passes plus Level 2 or above in English and Chinese subjects in HKCEE conducted in or after 2007; or
(3) mature students.
Detailed information with regard to the admission by individual institutions of students not meeting the above general requirements, compiled on the basis of materials provided by the institutions, is set out at Annex.
(b) Institutions basically adhere to the common descriptors when admitting students for AD programmes. They have also set out specific entry requirements following these descriptors. Indeed, information provided by the institutions shows that most programmes have followed the common descriptors for student admission purpose. For example, around 8,400 students were admitted to self-financed AD programmes offered by the institutions in 2006/07, and the total number of cases not meeting the proposed entry requirements set out in the common descriptors was about 290, representing about 3.5% of the total students admitted. As regards applicants not meeting the minimum requirements under the HKCEE or the HKALE, the institutions will consider whether they possess recognised equivalent qualifications, such as the successful completion of Project Yi Jin. Some institutions have also laid down special admission criteria for applicants not meeting the language requirements under HKCEE. For example, they will be required to attend an intensive language course and be able to obtain a pass before the commencement of the school term, failing which their enrolment will be cancelled.
The specific entry requirements laid down by the institutions, including the recognised equivalent qualifications and additional special admission criteria, have to be accredited by a recognised quality assurance agency prior to the provision of the relevant programme. Universities with self-accrediting status are required to subject their AD programmes to the same internal quality assurance mechanism as those applicable to their regular degree programmes.
The Education Bureau attaches great importance to the quality of AD programmes and has been liaising with the institutions to keep abreast of latest developments. Furthermore, the Joint Quality Review Committee (JQRC) established by the Heads of Universities Committee is now conducting institutional reviews for the eight self-accrediting institutions in respect of their self-financed AD programmes. The reviews, which will cover entry requirements, aim at improving the quality of self-financed AD programmes, as well as enhancing the social accountability of the institutions concerned.
(c) In collaboration with the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications, JQRC and FCE, we are currently reviewing the entire set of common descriptors, with a view to providing a clear position for AD programmes and to ensure that they dovetail with the development and implementation of the new senior secondary academic structure. We expect the review to be completed by mid-2008.
Ends/Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Issued at HKT 13:32
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