The following is issued on behalf of the Education Commission:

     The Chairman of the Education Commission, Mr Tim Lui, today (October 11) welcomed the education initiatives announced in "The Chief Executive's 2017 Policy Address".

     Mr Lui said, "Education is the key to nurturing talent. As the Chairman of the Education Commission, I welcome the Government's continued investment in education to nurture our younger generation into quality citizens with commitment towards society, a sense of national identity, love for Hong Kong and an international vision.

     "I am very glad that the current-term Government, apart from immediately increasing recurrent expenditure on education by $3.6 billion per annum, will conduct in-depth reviews of various key areas of education including the professional development of teachers, existing curricula and assessment systems, ways to promote vocational and professional education and training, the role and positioning of self-financing post-secondary institutions, implementation of school-based management, parent education and funding support for research and hostel development in the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded sector. Besides, there are initiatives which include the provision of air-conditioning in standard teaching facilities including classrooms and special rooms, student activity centres and assembly halls of public sector schools, and a non-recurrent funding of $500 million to support suitable projects under the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals and implement various measures to enhance the professional development of teachers and principals. The Government will also review the salary arrangements of kindergarten teachers to explore the feasibility of putting in place a salary scale for them. These initiatives address the concerns of the education sector.

     "I am also pleased to note that for post-secondary education, the Government will inject $3 billion into the Research Endowment Fund, with the investment income generated to be used for non-means-tested studentship for local students admitted to UGC-funded research postgraduate programmes. In tandem, the Government will regularise the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme from the 2019/20 academic year onwards to continue to subsidise up to 100 outstanding local students per cohort in their pursuit of undergraduate and postgraduate studies in world-renowned universities outside Hong Kong, with a view to nurturing more top talent in various fields to support the development of Hong Kong. In addition, the Government will set up a $12 billion Hostel Development Fund to subsidise the construction of hostels by UGC-funded universities. Another $1.2 billion will be injected into the Qualifications Framework (QF) Fund to support various stakeholders to participate in the QF and enhance the promotion and public education of QF, with a view to promoting lifelong learning and meeting the manpower needs of Hong Kong.

     "I believe that success in education requires the collaborative efforts of all who care about our next generation. The Education Commission will continue to contribute its advice to the Education Bureau on various education policies to enhance the quality of education in Hong Kong."

Ends/Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Issued at HKT 18:58

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