Education 139
Regarding diversification, the Government considers that the self-financing higher education sector has room for further expansion and can complement the publicly-funded sector in providing degree programmes. Support measures have been implemented to provide land at a nominal premium for the construction of purpose-built premises, loans to develop new college premises, the re-provisioning of existing ones and other, one-off, financial assistance measures. Two greenfield sites in the urban areas have been reserved for interested operators to provide self- financing degree programmes. The EDB will continue to identify more sites, as well as provide interest-free loans for self-financing degree-awarding institutions to develop college premises. Pursuant to the 2009-10 Policy Address, the EDB will also review the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance to provide a legal framework to facilitate the development of self-financing post-secondary institutions.
Continuing to support the Implementation of the New Academic Structure
The Government is working with stakeholders to implement the new academic structure launched in September 2009 from Secondary 4. Professional development programmes will continue to be provided to teachers and school leaders to help them implement the New Senior Secondary (NSS) curriculum.
Funding resources have been made available to enable schools to offer a diversified senior secondary curriculum catering for the diverse needs of students. Communication will be strengthened with various stakeholders including teachers, parents, students, employers and overseas students as well as educators to enhance their understanding and support of the NSS system.
The EDB will enhance inter-sector communication with universities and post- secondary institutions to ensure a smooth interface between the senior secondary education and higher education.
Enriching the Language Environment in Schools
Starting from the 2010-11 school year at Secondary 1 level and progressing each year to a higher form at junior secondary levels, schools will have greater flexibility in making professional judgements on the adoption of the appropriate medium of instruction at junior secondary levels according to students' abilities, learning progress, interests and school circumstances and taking into account teachers' capability and each school's support measures. This will help students to learn in English in senior secondary and higher education. At the same time, the Government will enhance English teaching and learning in primary schools to help students build a solid foundation. The EDB is committed to stepping up its efforts to attract talented people to the teaching profession, to continue helping serving teachers enhance their professionalism and to enrich the English language environment in schools.
Healthy School Policy
One of the aims of education in our schools is to help students adopt a healthy lifestyle. The major objective of the Healthy School Policy (HSP) is to help students reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Prime importance is