12-
few cases where banning is justified). Schools in which commercial
considerations predominate tend to reject any advice offered by the
Department on the choice of textbooks, however vigorously the matter may
be pursued. In spite of occasional indignant complaints about the lack
of Departmental control in such cases there is little beyond persuasion
that can be done certainly, greater legal control would be difficult
to achieve without seriously infringing normal business practices and
the principle of freedom of choice. Fortunately, professionalism in
education appears to be developing in line with the expansion of the
public sector and low standards are gradually being eliminated as the
result of a more widespread professional awareness.
Curriculum development
7.14
The Curriculum Development Committee (CDC) provides the focal
point for the work of the Advisory Inspectorate and is at the core of the Department's activities to promote quality in teaching.
The CDC
was set up in 1970 to replace the old Syllabuses and Textbooks Committee,
its status being that of a non-statutory advisory committee appointed to
advise the Director on the school curriculum and closely related matters
(such as supporting resource materials). its membership has been drawn
up to cover a cross-section of the educational community both public and
private, from pre-school to higher education, and including representatives
of such bodies as the Hong Kong examinations Authority (HKEA) and the
teachers' unions. The CDC advises on the general approach and direction
of school curricula, with detailed syllabuses and curriculum guides
developed for each school subject or subject-group by specialist committees.
These committees (like the subject panels of the Textbooks Committee)
include practising teachers from a wide variety of institutions, with
inspectors providing a nucleus of staff. The material produced is issued
to schools, subject to the approval of the CDC, for use - initially on
a trial basis, an important function of the Inspectorate at this stage
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