EDUCATION
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School curriculum leaders have been appointed to support primary school heads to lead curriculum development in primary schools for a period of five years. The initiative is being phased in over three years from the 2002-03 school year.
In addition, secondary and primary schools, university academics and curriculum development experts worked together, under a series of Seed (Research and Development) Projects, to generate useful knowledge and experiences in the context of learning and teaching for other schools' reference. Among these projects, the Chinese Language and English Language projects had an obvious impact on students' reading habits and communication skills. A range of learning and teaching resources was also developed to support the new curricula, including packages for reading and for catering to students' learning diversity, and electronic curriculum planners.
Through various advisory services, collaborative lesson preparation, and action research, schools were able to build up their curriculum reform capacity and adopt more effective practices to enhance school-based curriculum development, including more flexible time-tabling and curriculum continuity and assessment.
Enhancing the Capacity of Teachers
To ease the workload of teachers, the Government has provided schools with the Capacity Enhancement Grant starting from the 2000-01 school year. Schools can make use of the grant to employ additional staff or hire outside services so as to ease teachers' workload. The feedback from schools confirmed that the grant had helped ease the workload of teachers and had enhanced the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Approval was obtained from the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council in June to refine the rate structure of the grant with effect from the 2003-04 school year. The maximum provision to a school is $526,000 for a primary school with 24 or more classes or a special school with 19 or more classes, and $430,000 for a secondary school with 24 or more classes.
Professional Development
The Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications released its report entitled Towards A Learning Profession - The Teacher Competencies Framework and the Continuing Professional Development of Teachers in November. The report was a landmark document that laid the foundation for professionalising the teaching force in Hong Kong. The Advisory Committee recommended, among other things, to institutionalise the practice of continuing professional development (CPD) among teachers. As an indicative target for teachers in a three-year trial period, teachers were encouraged to pursue 150 hours of CPD in meeting school needs and personal development goals. It was a major step forward in upgrading the quality of education and students' learning. It also gave due recognition to teachers who were already engaged in lifelong learning. To facilitate the planning and review of CPD by teachers and schools, the Advisory Committee also formulated a Generic Teacher Competencies Framework that builds upon a set of core professional values indicative of a teacher's level of professional maturity.
Quality Education Fund
To provide financial support for worthwhile initiatives in basic education, the Government established the Quality Education Fund in 1998 with an allocation of $5 billion. The projects funded include those for the furtherance of effective learning, all-round education, school-based management, education research, application of