170 Education
Establishment of Qualifications Framework
The Executive Council approved the establishment of a seven-level cross-sectoral Qualifications Framework (QF) and its associated quality assurance mechanism in February 2004. The QF orders and supports qualifications of academic, vocational and continuing education.
Industry Training Advisory Committees (ITACs) have been set up to develop competency-based qualifications for the industries. So far, ITACs have been formed in six industries and more will come on stream.
The HKCAA was tasked with the responsibility of assuring the quality of qualifications recognised under the QF, other than those awarded by the self- accrediting institutions and their continuing education arms. The HKCAA is taking steps to reform its operating and financing models, as well as its accreditation criteria and procedures to prepare for its new responsibilities under the QF
Mutual Recognition of Academic Degrees in Higher Education
To strengthen the cooperation in education and facilitate the exchange of students between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Mutual Recognition of Academic Degrees in Higher Education was signed between the two on July 11, 2004.
Under the MoU, holders of degree at bachelor or above levels from recognised higher education institutions on the Mainland can apply for admission to studies at a higher level in Hong Kong, and vice versa.
Language Education
The Government is strongly committed to implementing measures recommended by The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) to ensure that Hong Kong people, particularly students and working adults, become biliterate (in written Chinese and English) and trilingual (in Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English.)
From the 2004-05 school year, all new language teachers should be holders of a Bachelor of Education degree majoring in the relevant language subject or both, a first degree and a Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate in Education majoring in that language subject.
To encourage serving language teachers to acquire the same professional qualifications, SCOLAR allocated $225 million from the Language Fund to run a Professional Development Incentive Grant Scheme which provides subsidies to these teachers to pursue further studies in the relevant language subject(s) that they teach. As of December 2004, nearly 4 000 applications for grant were approved and $108.6 million has been earmarked for them.
EMB also worked with local institutions to provide approved post-graduate programmes in subject knowledge for language teachers. As of November 2004,