EDUCATION
development, including the development of a target-oriented curriculum and related assessments; professional training for non-graduate teachers; language education for teachers; monitoring teaching standards; and administering the funding of public sector schools and some private institutions. The department also plays an important role in policy development and review.
Other government agencies with a role in education are the Secretariat of the University and Polytechnic Grants Committee, and the Student Financial Assistance Agency.
Community Participation
Members of the community play an important part in the planning, development and management of the education system at all levels-sitting on advisory bodies such as the Education Commission, Board of Education, Curriculum Development Council, UPGC and Research Grants Council; on executive bodies like the VTC, Hong Kong Examinations Authority and Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation; on management committees of schools; and on the governing bodies of tertiary institutions.
The Education Commission
The commission advises the government on the development of the education system as a whole in the light of community needs. Its terms of reference are to define overall objectives; to formulate policies and recommend priorities for implementation, having regard to the resources available; to co-ordinate and monitor the planning and de- velopment of education at all levels; and to initiate educational research.
The commission has 15 members, of whom 13, including the chairman, are appointed from outside the government to bring a wide range of personal and professional experience to the issues under review. They include the chairmen of the Board of Education, UPGC, VTC and Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications. The two government members are the Secretary for Education and Manpower, who is the vice-chairman, and the Director of Education.
In February, the government accepted as policy the recommendations in the com- mission's fifth report, and implementation proceeded as planned during the year. Three new bodies recommended in the report were set up: the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, the Provisional Governing Council of the Institute of Education, and the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications. Planning proceeded for the setting up of a fourth body, the Council on Professional Conduct in Education.
Having completed five comprehensive reviews of education policy, the commission considered that further wide-ranging reviews would not be needed in the next few years. Instead, the commission selected three topics for in-depth study: education standards, language proficiency, and the funding of schools.
In September, the government published a policy document, School Education in Hong Kong: a Statement of Aims, based on a draft issued by the commission for public consultation in 1992. At the same time, plans were announced for monitoring progress in implementing the aims.
The Board of Education
The board is a statutory body appointed to advise the government, through the Director of Education, on educational matters at school level. Its focus is on the implementation of
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