New round of application under Quality Enhancement Support Scheme opens
***************************************************************

     The Education Bureau announced today (November 2) the 2018/19 round of application for the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS) under the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund (SPEF).

     As one of the major support measures to promote the healthy and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary sector, the QESS was launched in November 2012 with the aim of enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in the sector. The Scheme currently supports three project categories, namely theme-based, open-ended and industrial attachment projects.

     All applications are considered by the independent QESS Sub-committee established under the SPEF Steering Committee. In the 2017/18 round of application, 11 out of 31 applications were approved with a total earmarked grant of about $26.8 million. The approved projects aimed to enhance internship support, improve students' learning experience, enhance students' language proficiency and so forth.

     The 2018/19 round of application invites proposals on projects to be launched in the 2019/20 academic year. For theme-based projects, applicants are allowed, as last year, to set their own themes as long as the proposals are collaborative in nature, i.e. proposed and undertaken by more than one eligible institution, to foster closer collaboration and synergy among institutions and benefit the sector as widely as possible.

     For open-ended projects, applicants should submit applications within the scope of the QESS, which mainly includes the following:

(1) improving the overall learning experience and language proficiency of students;

(2) developing and improving teaching methodology and practices, including development of assessment strategies;

(3) strengthening and improving quality assurance and related measures; and

(4) enhancing student support and career guidance services, including support for non-Chinese speaking students and students with special educational needs.

     For industrial attachment projects, applicants should submit proposals with the aim of increasing students' employability by sourcing more internship opportunities for post-secondary students, and/or enhancing relevant institutional support for students.
     
     The deadline for the 2018/19 round of application is February 28, 2019. All non-profit-making education institutions offering full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree or bachelor's degree (including top-up degree) programmes are eligible to apply. Other related bodies such as the federations of these education institutions and quality assurance agencies may also apply.

     Further details about the QESS are available at the Concourse for Self-financing Post-secondary Education at
www.cspe.edu.hk/en/Overview-Measures-Fund-QESS.html.

Ends/Friday, November 2, 2018
Issued at HKT 15:30

NNNN