HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 January 1989
香港立法局——————————一九八九年一月十一日
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SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER: Sir, the Education Commission's recommendations on sixth form education, including the availability of Advanced Level examinations in Chinese, were accepted by the Government in May 1988. Three courses of action have since been followed.
First, a Sixth Form Working Group has been set up, comprising members coming from tertiary institutions, secondary schools, the Hong Kong Examinations Authority and government officials. The group will report to me in the middle of this year on measures relevant to the implementation of the commission's recommendations. Mr. CHEUNG is himself a member of this working group.
Secondly, the Hong Kong Examinations Authority has been asked to begin planning for the provision of bilingual A-Level examinations.
Thirdly, the Chinese Textbooks Committee, chaired by Mr. SZETO Wah with Mr. CHEUNG as deputy chairman, has been asked to consider the question of textbooks and reference materials in Chinese which are suitable for use in Chinese-medium A-Level courses.
We have not yet decided on a date for introducing bilingual A-Levels. The Chairman of the Chinese Textbooks Committee has informed me of the committee's view that there is no direct link between the availability of Chinese textbooks and reference materials and the introduction of bilingual examinations, and urged that such examinations should be introduced at the earliest possible date. The Sixth Form Working Group has not yet finalized its view on the appropriate timing. The Hong Kong Examinations Authority conducted a survey of schools in November last year to ascertain the likely requirement for Chinese- medium A-Levels from 1992 onwards, and found that very few schools intended to enter students for these examinations before 1994. The Education Department, at the request of the Sixth Form Working Group, is now conducting a second survey of schools to see whether more schools would wish to enter candidates for Chinese-medium A-Level examinations before 1994. While a final decision on the timing for introducing bilingual A-Level examinations will be taken after the Sixth Form Working Group has completed its report, it is clear that the earliest possible date for such examinations cannot be before 1992.
As for the financial implications, it is estimated that an additional $220,000 per year would be required initially: the Hong Kong Examinations Authority estimates that bilingual A-Level examinations will cost $200,000 each year in additional payments to examination personnel, and translation of syllabuses will cost about $20,000 with smaller costs thereafter whenever syllabuses are revised. Until the Higher Level Examination is abolished, no additional fee