EC invites views on quality school education
The Education Commission is inviting views from the community on the consultation document for its Report No 7 (ECR 7) published today (Tuesday) with a series of recommendations aimed to enhance the quality of school education.
At a press conference to launch the consultation document, Chairman of the Commission, Professor Young pointed out that the Report represents the Commission's vision of a quality school education system which will have lasting benefits to the generations to come.
She pointed out that during a three-year study on school quality and school funding, the Commission found that there was a general lack of a quality culture in the present school system. "There is also no incentives for schools to take the initiative or to accept the responsibility for achieving quality education," Professor Young said.
To address the problems, the Commission had drawn up recommendations to help schools improve their performance and to ensure that resources for school education are being used in a most effective, efficient and accountable manner.
Professor Young outlined the major recommendations in the ECR 7 consultation document which focus on the development of school-based management; the introduction of pilot incentive schemes for schools. the establishment of a framework for developing and monitoring quality of school education; the role of the Education Department; and training of key players in the school system.
Recognising that quality reform must be school-based, the Commission feels that schools should be given the responsibility to develop their own objectives and targets because they are in the best position to assess the abilities and aptitudes of their students They should then be required to measure their performance against those objectives and targets.
"The Commission therefore recommends that all schools should by the year 2000 practise school-based management in the spirit of the existing School Management Initiative. The move is aimed at helping schools to develop quality education according to needs of their students and at requiring the key players in the school system to be more accountable for school performance.
To build a quality culture, the Commission proposes two pilot incentive schemes to encourage schools to strive for continuous improvement.
"The concept of value-added achievement is important in providing an equitable basis for assessing performance. As an encouragement, the Commission recommends to start a pilot scheme in 1998 to give cash rewards to schools with impressive value-added improvement. As the main purpose of the awards is to give recognition to such schools, the amount does not need to be substantial and a token of not more than $100,000 per school is suggested," Professor Young said.