************************************************************
The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (December 11) that it will introduce Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students) (ApL(C)) at the senior secondary level in phases starting from the 2014-15 school year to provide an additional channel for NCS students to obtain an alternative Chinese language qualification.
The Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, said that the EDB fully encourages and supports NCS students to improve their Chinese language ability and to integrate themselves into the community. ApL(C) is designed from the perspective of second language learners and provides a simulated applied learning context in which students can learn Chinese.
He said that the EDB will fully subsidise schools in paying the course fee for ApL(C) and students need not pay the course fee.
On recognition, Mr Ng said that in addition to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) qualification, ApL(C) is also pegged at the Qualifications Framework (QF) Levels 1 to 3. Students will obtain QF certificates upon meeting the standards set at different QF levels of ApL(C).
Obtaining both the HKDSE and QF certificates will facilitate the further studies of NCS students and enhance their employability, he said.
All eight University Grants Committee-funded institutions and most post-secondary institutions have accepted ApL(C) as an alternative qualification in Chinese language for the admission of NCS students with "Attained" as the minimum grade required, he said.
The Civil Service Bureau accepts "Attained" and "Attained with Distinction" in ApL(C) as meeting the Chinese language proficiency requirement of relevant civil service ranks. Major employers and professional bodies, such as the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, have also given recognition to ApL(C).
During the 2015-17 cohort, the EDB will offer a total of 40 ApL courses, among which 10 are new courses. These include the two ApL(C) courses, "Chinese for the Service Industry" and "Practical Chinese in Hospitality", for NCS students, as well as "Fashion and Image Design", "The Essentials of Dramatic Arts", "Magazine Editing and Production", "New Media Communication Strategies", "Entrepreneurship for SME", "Marketing and Online Promotion", "Electrical and Energy Engineering" and "Computer Forensic Technology".
The EDB will organise a four-day exhibition on ApL courses and taster sessions to provide parents, teachers and students with the necessary information to help students choose suitable courses for themselves. The details are as follows:
Date: December 17 to 20 (Wednesday to Saturday)
Times:
Exhibition: 10am to 6pm
Taster sessions: 4pm to 5.30pm (Wednesday to Friday)
1pm to 3.30pm (Saturday)
Venue: Chamber 1 and Chamber 2, InnoCentre, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong
Ends/Thursday, December 11, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:34
NNNN
