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Education
The Government expects that in two years, over one-third of the relevant age cohort will have access to degree-level education. Taking sub-degree places into account, nearly 70 per cent of young people will have access to post-secondary education.
Enhancing Support Services for Schools
The Task Force on Language Support has initiated a number of measures to enhance the capacity of Chinese and English panel heads and teachers. In 2012-13, about 300 primary and secondary schools were supported through on-site support, network activities, and territory- wide seminars and workshops. Key support included Language Across the Curriculum, teaching Chinese to non-Chinese speaking students, using Putonghua to teach Chinese, new Senior Secondary language curricula and Curriculum Leadership Development.
In February, the Task Force launched a new Professional Development (PD) Framework to empower teachers to make school-based decisions on how to cater for the needs of gifted students. The EDB works closely with the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education to provide PD programmes at foundation, intermediate and advanced levels. Courses are also designed specially for teachers who are assigned as Gifted Education Managers or Gifted Education Co- ordinators.
Developing e-Learning Resources in Schools
To support the implementation of e-learning in schools, the Government has established an online Depository of Curriculum-based Learning and Resources for major subjects at the primary and junior secondary school levels. Teachers can also refer to these e-learning resources via the 'One-stop Portal for Learning and Teaching Resources!
e-Textbook Market Development Scheme (EMADS) and Partner Schools Scheme
The Government launched the EMADS in 2012, aimed at facilitating and encouraging potential and aspiring e-textbook developers to develop e-textbooks for the local curricula as well as trying out a quality vetting and assurance mechanism for e-textbooks. Thirty applications to develop e-textbooks for a range of subjects at primary and junior secondary levels were approved. Schools participating in the Partner Schools Scheme will try out the new e-textbooks and provide feedback for the developers to enhance the e-textbooks' design and contents. The EMADS e-textbooks are expected to be available for use in the 2014-15 school year.
Enhancing Internationalisation of School Guidance
In July, the EDB in collaboration with the Baptist University of Hong Kong (and supported by East China Normal University, Taiwan Normal University, Taichung University of Education and the University of Macao) hosted the First International Conference on School Guidance in the Chinese Communities in Hong Kong. The conference attracted 700 educators and counselling professionals, with about 300 coming from different provinces of the Mainland, Taiwan and Macao as well as Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the USA. Over 120 presentations were made on a wide range of topics, including guidance curriculum, assessment for guidance services, adventure-based guidance, caring school culture, peer counselling and mental wellness. The conference will be held every two years, to sustain this international sharing
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