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The following is issued on behalf of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee:
The Chairman of the Quality Education Fund (QEF) Steering Committee, Mr Duffy Wong, today (March 21) announced the direction of the QEF and the 11 Priority Themes for the 2016/17 QEF applications, as well as the application procedures.
Mr Wong said that the QEF, which was introduced in 1998, is committed to promoting school-based innovation and facilitating concerted efforts among tertiary institutions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), parents and school sponsoring bodies to enhance the quality of school education.
Mr Wong said, "Determined to enhance the quality of school education, the QEF has set the following direction: (1) to align with the Government's education policies, such as promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education to enhance students' interest in learning, creativity and innovation so as to promote entrepreneurship and strengthen Hong Kong's global competitiveness. Moreover, the QEF strives to enhance stundents' language proficiency, boost their knowledge and learning motivation in Chinese history and culture, and support kindergarten education; (2) to nurture positive values in students; (3) to continue to support school-based innovation and also the adaptation/enhancement of existing practices in schools so as to address their specific needs; (4) to promote research and development projects as a means of fostering more evidence-based practices and consolidating experiences; and (5) to strengthen the support measures for specific student groups, including non-Chinese speaking students and students of less favourable socio-economic status."
The 11 priority themes cover areas to which the QEF will give priority consideration in assessing proposals. Elaboration on the respective priority themes is given to facilitate the preparation of proposals. The QEF accepts applications all year round, with the amount of grant subject to individual projects. Each school and college/faculty/centre under an individual tertiary institution can apply for up to five projects whereas organisations and individuals can apply for up to four projects in each school year subject to the amount of grant sought. The QEF will continue to accept applications for grants sought not exceeding $150,000 (mini-applications) as introduced in 2014 as schools find it flexible in meeting school-based needs. The QEF will continue to create space and provide resources for schools to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness, so as to lay a good foundation for students' lifelong learning.
The 11 priority themes for 2016/17 are:
Areas Priority Themes
Learning * Catering for Learners' Diversity
and Teaching * Effective Learning and Teaching
of Languages
* Enhancing Learning and Teaching,
and Assessment Literacy with a
view to Enhancing Student
Learning Outcomes in Primary
General Studies, Key Learning
Areas / Subject Curricula and
Liberal Studies
* Using e-Learning (IT) for
Effective Learning
* Values Education
* Creative Arts and Culture
Education
Support for * Healthy Lifestyle and Positive
Students and Development of Students
School Ethos * Support for Students with
Diverse Needs
* Promoting Whole Child Development
in Kindergarten Education
Management and * Supporting Effective School
Organisations ¡@Management and Leadership
¡@* Teacher Development and Wellness
¡@ for Promoting Schools as
Learning Organisations
To familiarise potential applicants with the new priority themes and application procedures, the QEF Secretariat will organise targeted briefing sessions for the following groups:
* kindergartens (April 5, am);
* secondary schools, special schools and school sponsoring bodies (April 19, am);
* primary schools, special schools and school sponsoring bodies (April 21, am);
* tertiary education institutions (May 3, am); and
* NGOs (May 11, pm).
Details of the application rules will be uploaded to the QEF website (qef.org.hk/) on March 24. Apart from briefing sessions, the QEF Secretariat will continue to organise regular individual consultation sessions and proposal-writing workshops for prospective applicants pertaining to the preparation of proposals.
The QEF will continue to enhance communication with stakeholders and encourage partnership of different sectors with schools to gain and share the successful experience of QEF projects. For instance, there are Thematic Networks for the sustainable development and capacity building of teachers. QEF deliverables, such as teaching and learning resources, are available through direct sale at 43 designated bookstores and via mail order and on-line purchase at the QEF website and Hong Kong Education City.
To capitalise on e-Learning, the QEF has developed over 80 sets of electronic deliverables to facilitate self-directed learning. The public can access these deliverables via the QEF Cyber Resource Centre and Hong Kong Education City. The QEF will continue to identify good projects for developing more electronic deliverables with interactive functions to promote quality education.
Since its establishment in 1998, the QEF has supported over 8 900 projects and granted over $4.2 billion, bringing about successful innovative ideas, practices and experiences to raise the quality of education. The QEF processed 722 applications in the 2014/15 school year, among which 229 applications were approved involving a total grant amounting to around $69.4 million. The grants approved in the school year range from about $35,500 to $3,170,200.
Ends/Monday, March 21, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:25
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