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Series of new initiatives to improve basic education
The Government will conduct a pilot exercise at a cost of $15 million in 1997- 98 financial year for establishment of language benchmarks for teachers with a view to enhancing the language standards and professionalism of teachers, and in turn, the quality of teaching and learning in schools as proposed in the Education Commission Report No. 6(ECR No. 6).
Speaking at a press conference today (Friday) on the education expenditure in 1997-98, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, said that the pilot language benchmarking exercise, to be co-ordinated by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) and administered by the Hong Kong Examinations Authority and Education Department, was expected to be completed in 1998.
The exercise, one of the new initiatives taken by the Government to improve language proficiency of students, will finalise benchmarks for English, Chinese and Putonghua languages, and assess the re-training needs for teachers.
Mr Wong noted that new teachers entering the profession in two years would be required to meet the language benchmarks while serving teachers would be expected to meet the requirements in about 10 years' time.
Mr Wong pointed out that four new initiatives would be taken in 1997-98 to enhance language proficiency of students. Apart from the pilot language benchmarking exercise, the government would also extend the English and Chinese Extensive Reading Schemes to all levels of primary and secondary schools, increase the provision of intensive English courses to Secondary Six and Seven students and set up a Language Resources Centre.
The Government has taken a series of measures to
to implement the recommendations in ECR No.6. These include:
setting up the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR);
enrolling 110 000 students from 278 schools in Chinese and English Extensive Reading Schemes in 1996-97;
enrolling 13 900 students in Putonghua summer courses in 1996;
developing Putonghua syllabus, and introducing Putonghua as separate subject in Primary one, Secondary one and four in 1998 before it becomes a Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination subject in 2000.