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Education
are offered under six areas of studies: Creative Studies; Media and Communication; Business, Management and Law; Services; Applied Science; and Engineering and Production.
On completion of their study at Secondary 6, students take the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination.
The HKDSE has gained extensive recognition in international benchmarking studies such as the National Recognition Information Centre report and the Tariff System of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service in the UK. The Australian government recognises the HKDSE as comparable to the Australian Senior Secondary School Certificate. Over 240 tertiary institutions worldwide, including renowned universities Oxford and Yale, recognise the qualification for admission purposes, and more are being added.
In 2015, about 88 per cent of Secondary 6 graduates pursued further full-time studies, among whom about 11 per cent studied outside Hong Kong.
Under the state Ministry of Education's Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions, some Mainland higher education institutions admit Hong Kong students on the basis of their HKDSE Examination results and exempt them from taking the Joint Entrance Examination for Universities on the Mainland. More than 15,400 Hong Kong students applied under the scheme from the 2012-13 to 2016-17 academic years, and more than 6,400 were admitted. In 2017-18, the number of participating institutions will increase from 84 to 90, located in 15 Mainland provinces and municipalities and one autonomous region.
Chinese History Education
Chinese history is an integral part of the curriculum for all primary and secondary schools. Learning content on the Chinese nation, history and Chinese culture is included in the General Studies subject at the primary level, while at the junior secondary level, all schools must devote about two periods per week to Chinese history. At the senior secondary level, Chinese History is an elective subject. To enhance students' interest in learning the subject, the Ad Hoc Committee under the Curriculum Development Council is now reviewing and revising the Junior Secondary Chinese History subject curriculum. It is expected that the review and revision work will be completed by the third quarter of 2017.
Basic Law Education
The Basic Law is a constitutional document for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). It enshrines within a legal document the important concepts of 'one country, two systems, 'Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong' and a high degree of autonomy. It also prescribes the various systems to be practised in the HKSAR. The Basic Law is intimately related to our daily lives.
To support the learning and teaching of the Basic Law, the government provides a range of support measures for schools, including a territory-wide inter-school Basic Law competition, learning and teaching resources, professional development programmes for principals and teachers, and Mainland exchange programmes.
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