Progress Report Summary
Higher Education Reforms Only
education commission

Education Commission. 2002. Learning for life, learning through life. Progress Report on the Education Reform, 1st Report. (January). [online document - multipart pdf-format new window] 21 March 2003

EARTH's copy with bookmarks (pdf format - 396Kb)

Chapter 2 : Progress of the Education Reform

Stage of education	Measures planned to be implemented in the first three years	Progress
Higher Education	2000/01 school year and beyond to reform the admission criteria progressively to encourage the all-round development of students to reform the curriculum progressively to cater for the needs of society and to enhance students' quality to develop a flexible credit unit system progressively	The universities have gradually adopted more diversified admission criteria in order to make a more comprehensive assessment of students' performance. Being implemented by the universities. Being examined jointly by the University Grants Committee and the universities.

Stage of education	Measures planned to be implemented in the first three years	Progress
Higher Education	2000/01 school year and beyond to reform the admission criteria progressively to encourage the all-round development of students to reform the curriculum progressively to cater for the needs of society and to enhance students' quality to develop a flexible credit unit system progressively	The universities have gradually adopted more diversified admission criteria in order to make a more comprehensive assessment of students' performance. Being implemented by the universities. Being examined jointly by the University Grants Committee and the universities.

Stage of education	Measures planned to be implemented in the first three years	Progress
Continuing Education	2000/01 school year to set up a working group under the Education Commission to examine measures to promote the development of continuing education	The working group is undertaking the review. Public consultation will be conducted in 2002.

Section 5 - Admission Mechanism

(4) University Admission
To encourage the all-round development of students, local universities are encouraged to review their own admission criteria and procedures so as to give due consideration to students' all-round performance and select the most suitable candidates for the relevant programmes.

• Last Year's Progress - As shown by the preliminary statistics on university admission for the 2001/02 school year, the number of students admitted through non-JUPAS increased notably by 22% as compared with last year. These students generally possessed academic qualifications equivalent to HKALE, or had demonstrated outstanding performance in non-academic fields. At present, about 10% of the student intake of the universities come from non-JUPAS admissions.
  
  
• Tasks Ahead for the Coming Year - The University Grants Committee will continue to rally the active
  participation of local universities in and support for implementing the reform measures. A review on the development of higher education is underway and a report will be submitted to the Government in the first half of 2002.
  

Section 6: Assessment Mechanism

(2) Public Examination Reforms
Public examinations provide a fair and objective assessment mechanism for certification and selection purposes. However, they do have limitations as they do not assess the abilities and performance of students in a comprehensive and continuous manner. Therefore, the Hong Kong Examinations Authority (HKEA) strives to improve the public examination system with a view to making it more flexible and more comprehensive so as to tie in with the curriculum reform.

• Last Year's Progres
  
  
  1. Extension of the Teacher Assessment Scheme (TAS)
     Preparatory work for extending the Teacher Assessment Scheme to more HKALE subjects (including Physics, Engineering Science & Art) in 2004 is now underway.
     
     
  2. HKCEE Core-competence Initiative - The HKEA and the CDI are currently preparing for the implementation of the core-competence approach in the HKCEE English Language examination. The implementation of this approach for other subjects, including Chinese Language, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, is still being considered.
     
     
  3. Allowing S6 Students to Sit the HKALE
     The HKEA has decided to allow S5 students who perform well to take the HKALE in S6 as private candidates. It is now considering how to apply this scheme to those subjects having
     a TAS component (such as the Chinese Language and Culture subject) in order to enhance its effectiveness. The implementation details are being worked out. It is estimated that the proposal will be implemented in the 2003 HKALE at the earliest.
     
     
  4. Abolition of Fine Grades in HKCEE and HKALE
     The HKEA has announced that fine grades [i.e. the approach of sub-dividing students' Grade A to F results into 12 fine grades from A(01) to F(12)] would be abolished with effect from the 2002 HKCEE and HKALE.
     
     
  5. Mounting an Independent English Language Proficiency Test
     The HKEA will work out the implementation details for mounting an English language proficiency test which is independent of the HKCEE and HKALE English language examinations and can meet the needs of society. This test will specify different levels of grading according to clear criteria for assessing candidates' English language proficiency. The test will be open to all members of the public, including students, who wish to obtain certification for their English language proficiency for employment or study purposes.
     
     
  6. Conducting the HKCE CEM Examinations Twice a Year
     After careful consideration, the HKEA has decided not to implement this proposal at the present stage as the benefits it could bring to students are limited. The HKEA will focus its resources on other projects which are expected to exert a more significant and positive impact on teaching and learning.
     
     
• Tasks Ahead for the Coming Year
  
  
  1. To implement good practices for setting questions in order to support the curriculum reform
     
     The HKEA will enhance the relevance of the examination questions to the daily life experiences of students. The format of the questions will also be improved to provide more room for students to demonstrate their creativity and critical thinking, rather than encouraging them to learn by rote. Markers will be encouraged to exercise their professional judgement to accept logical and relevant answers, instead of taking marking schemes as absolute.
     
     
  2. To work closely with the CDI in developing combined curriculum and assessment guides.
     
     
  3. To continue implementing the various reforms of public examinations.
     

Section 7: Increase in Education Opportunities

(1) Increase in Senior Secondary Education Opportunities

• Target - To provide all Secondary Three students studying in publicly funded schools, who have the ability and wish to continue with their studies, with subsidized Secondary Four or training places, starting from the 2002/03 school year.
  
  
• Last Year's Progress
  • We have allocated six school premises for setting up senior secondary schools. Another two will be allocated soon. These schools will come into operation in the 2003/04 school year.
  • The senior secondary schools mentioned above will have their own characteristics and offer diversified curricula to cater for the varying needs and abilities of different students. For example, some schools will place emphasis on IT, computer software and hardware, finance, financial management, creative design or communication.
    

(2) Increase in Post-secondary Education Opportunities

• Target - To support the progressive increase in post-secondary education opportunities so that 60% of senior secondary school leavers will have access to post-secondary education by the 2010/11 school year.
  
  
• Last Year's Progress
  • Common Descriptors of Associate Degree (AD) Programmes - In consultation with the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and the Federation of Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions, the Education and Manpower Bureau announced in June 2001, a set of common descriptors for AD programmes in Hong Kong to ensure a consistency of standards in AD qualifications.
  • Recognition of AD Qualifications by the Government - The Government announced in June 2001 that it would accept the qualifications of accredited local AD programmes for appointment to all civil service and non-civil-service contract posts with general entry requirements set at the Higher Diploma level.
  • Financial Assistance for Students - With effect from the 2001/02 academic year, financial assistance has been provided to students pursuing self-financing accredited full-time post-secondary education courses to ensure that no students are deprived of education due to a lack of means.
  • Financial Assistance for Providers - With effect from the 2001/02 academic year, start-up loans have been provided to non-profit-making education providers for running accredited post-secondary programmes on a self-financing basis.
  • Quality Assurance - To be eligible for the above financial assistance scheme, students have to select those programmes which meet the accreditation requirements that have been stipulated in order to ensure quality.
  • Accreditation Grant - Financial assistance to education providers has been granted
    for institutional reviews and programme validation.
  • List of Accredited Post-secondary Programmes - With information provided by post-secondary education institutions, a list of accredited self-financing full-time post-secondary programmes has been compiled for public reference.
    
    
• Tasks Ahead for the Coming Year
  Publicity will be stepped up in order to enhance the public's understanding of sub-degree (including Associate Degree, Higher Diploma and Professional Diploma) qualifications and the prospects for employment or further studies. This should help to promote recognition of these qualifications.
  

(3) Promoting Continuing Education

• Target - To provide a favourable environment for the development of continuing education through the promotion of mutual recognition and transfer of qualifications and enhancing co-operation among various sectors. The ultimate aim is to provide diversified and multi-channel
  education opportunities to encourage lifelong learning.
  
  
• Last Year's Progress
  • A working group has been set up by the Education Commission to provide advice on the overall strategy for promoting continuing education. The working group has examined the current situation of continuing education from different angles, and proceeded to assess ways to promote co-operation among different continuing education providers, enhance the database on Continuing Education, as well as provide different learners with
    more continuing education opportunities.
  • The working group has mapped out a preliminary proposed qualifications framework, which outlines progression pathways in mainstream academic education, vocational education, professional education and continuing education. This would serve as a basis for promoting mutual recognition and the transfer of qualifications among different institutions.
  • In respect to the existing regulatory framework for continuing education, the working group will explore ways to provide continuing education providers with more room for promoting the development of continuing education.
    
    
• Tasks Ahead for the Coming Year - The working group will submit proposals on the above issues to the Education Commission by mid-2002. The Education Commission will consider these proposals and consult the public before submitting its recommendations to the Government.