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The Education Bureau today (March 18) announced the results of the Support Scheme on e-Learning in Schools. Among 174 school applications, a total of 100 schools were selected to participate in the Support Scheme, including 53 primary schools, 42 secondary schools and five special schools. The schools selected include 20 schools with students of relatively low socio-economic status, but the schools' readiness in other aspects is equally strong compared with other schools.
The Steering Committee on Strategic Development of Information Technology in Education reviewed and confirmed the results on March 12, in accordance with the selection criteria endorsed earlier. The selected schools have a good foundation in terms of curriculum planning, teachers' professional development and engagement of stakeholders, with some schools excelling in all these areas.
The Government will disburse $35.35 million to the 100 selected schools. In line with the current practice for disbursement of the Composite Information Technology Grant, each school will receive a one-off grant in the range of $242,500 to $606,400 according to five grant levels based on the number of approved classes. The grant will be disbursed by the end of March for use in the next three school years.
The Education Bureau will conduct a briefing session for the selected schools on March 25 to introduce the technical advisory and project management services. The services will include providing technical advice on the design of the WiFi infrastructure and monitoring the work of service providers. The bureau will also introduce professional development programmes for school leaders, middle managers and teachers to assist schools in the implementation of e-learning to enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching. Teachers of other schools could also apply for the courses to enrich their knowledge in e-learning and to prepare for the implementation of e-learning.
The selected schools will generate precious experience for reference by other schools. Starting from the second semester of the 2014-15 school year, the selected schools will use seminars to share their experiences with other schools.
Ends/Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:57
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