Hong Kong Higher Education Reform Research Project
A joint research project on public policy with regard to post junior secondary and higher education reform

Legislative Council
Legal Service Division

Bills
Legislative year 2002-2003
website | legislative council (legal services)

• Legislative Council Brief: EMBCR 6/2/3231/90 Pt. 3 - pdf document 586 KB - no bookmarks
  
  Merger of Education and Manpower Bureau with Edcuation Department and merger of the Education Commission with the Board of Education.
  
  A bill to amend the Education Ordinance to provide for the transfer of functions of the Director of Education, the Education Department and related bodies; to abolish the Board of Education; to make consequential and related amendments to other enactments and to provide for incidental and connected matters. Enacted by the Legislative Council.
  

Reports
legislative council (legal services)

• LC Paper No. LS 21/02-03 pdf document 131 KB - Report on Education Reorganization (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2002
  
  Paper for the House Committee meeting on 22 November 2002.
  
  This paper contains a discussion on the following proposed changes:
  
  
• • the transfer of functions from the Director of Education (DE) to the Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower (PSEM)
  • the transfer of functions of the Education Department (ED) to the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB)
  • the abolishment of the Board of Education (BoE)

Other points of discussion include

• repealing the power of the Chief Executive to appoint a public officer to serve as a member of the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
• important differences of the EC before and after the merger. For example, the EC would no longer receive reports from the government on the introduction and implementation of major education policies and initiatives.
• concern with regard to the autonomy of the University Grants Committee (UGC). Funded tertiary institutions might be reduced as the future provision of associate and sub-degree programmes would come under the purview of both the UGC and the new Manpower Development Committee
• concern that the power of the EC after the merger with the BoE would be reduced and its status lowered. Some members also expressed strong dissatisfaction about representation on the EC.