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Following is a question by the Hon Sin Chung-kai and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (February 18):

Question:

The Information Technology for Quality Education Five-Year Strategy 1998/99 to 2002/03 ended in the last school year. The Education and Manpower Bureau has commissioned the Hong Kong Polytechnic University to conduct the Overall Study on Reviewing the Progress and Evaluating the Information Technology in Education ("ITEd") Projects 1998/2003, which aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ITEd as launched from 1998 to 2003 and chart the course for the next stage of development in the use of IT in Hong Kong's school education. According to the Fact Sheet of the Overall Study, the study is expected to be completed in December this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the expected time for the launch of a new strategy on ITEd; and

(b) whether the authorities will continue to promote ITEd before the above study is completed; if they will, whether the resources to be allocated will be maintained at the existing level?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) While the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) is conducting the study, the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) has already embarked on an information collection exercise for the purpose of charting the next steps on Information Technology in Education (ITEd). Several rounds of informal consultation have been conducted with the education sector, the IT sector and the advisory committees concerned. The EMB is currently drafting a new ITEd strategy for implementation from the next academic year. The HKPU will make available its substantial findings in the middle of this year for EMB's reference prior to the finalisation of the new strategy.

(b) In spite of the completion of the first ITEd strategy in late August last year, the Government has been continuing to promote ITEd. Pending the launch of the new ITEd strategy, the EMB will continue to foster the further development of ITEd by providing secondary and primary schools with various grants, teacher training and technical assistance, etc.

Ends/Wednesday, February 18, 2004

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