XN000022-1993-11-19 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1993

HE

BRIEFED

POINTED OUT THAT THE COMMISSION'S CHAIRMAN ALWAYS THE PRESS AFTER EACH MEETING, IN ORDER TO KEEP THE PUBLIC BROADLY INFORMED ON THE COMMISSION'S CURRENT WORK.

"ONCE

THE COMMISSION HAS FORMULATED ITS VIEWS THESE ARE ISSUED FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSION, HE SAID.

"THE COMMISSION THEN CONSIDERS PUBLIC SUBMITTING FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT.

AND PROPOSALS,

COMMENTS BEFORE

"IN THE LIGHT OF THESE PROCEDURES, IT IS DIFFICULT TO SEE HOW THE COMMISSION CAN BE DESCRIBED AS OPERATING IN A 'SECRETIVE' MANNER."

ON THE COMMISSION'S CURRENT PROGRAMME OF WORK, MR LEUNG SAID THE STUDIES OF EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS, LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, AND THE RESOURCING OF SCHOOLS WERE NOT IN ANY SENSE "MARGINAL OR MERELY TECHNICAL”.

"THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION IS THIS: IN AN EDUCATION SYSTEM

WITH

A THOUSAND SCHOOLS, 50,000 TEACHERS AND ALMOST A MILLION STUDENTS, CAN THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION BR PROMOTED EFFECTIVELY BY CENTRALISED DECISION-MAKING, CENTRALISED CONTROLS, AND CENTRALISED QUALITY- ASSURANCE MECHANISMS?" MR LEUNG ASKED.

"OR DOES IT MAKE MORE SENSE TO THINK IN TERMS OF A FRAMEWORK WHICH MOTIVATES AND ENABLES EVERY SCHOOL AND EVERY TEACHER TO TAKE DECISIONS ABOUT, AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR, THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE THEY DELIVER?"

MR LEUNG NOTED THAT EDUCATION SYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD WERE MOVING AWAY FROM CENTRALISED WAYS TO PROMOTE QUALITY EDUCATION.

"THE CENTRALISED INEFFECTIVE, HE SAID.

TT

APPROACH HAS LONG BEEN

RECOGNISED AS

THERE IS A MOVEMENT INSTEAD TOWARDS SYSTEMS IN WHICH SCHOOLS HAVE GREATER DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY, WITHIN A FRAMEWORK WHICH, ON THE ONE HAND, MAKES THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR COMMUNITY FOR THE QUALITY OF THEIR SERVICES; AND ON THE OTHER HAND ENABLES THEM TO OBTAIN THE KINDS OF SUPPORT THEY NEED IN ORDER ΤΟ DELIVER QUALITY EDUCATION.

HE NOTED THAT HONG KONG HAD ALREADY TAKEN THE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS A FRAMEWORK OF SCHOOL-BASED QUALITY ASSURANCE WITH THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE, THE STATEMENT OF AIMS FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION, AND THE NEW FRAMEWORKS FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND TEACHER EDUCATION ARISING FROM EDUCATION COMMISSION REPORTS 4 AND 5.

"THE THREE STUDIES NOW BEING CONDUCTED BY THE COMMISSION CAN PROVIDE US WITH A MAP FOR THE NEXT STAGE OF OUR JOURNEY TOWARDS A TRULY EFFECTIVE SYSTEM OF QUALITY ASSURANCE IN EDUCATION," MR LEUNG SAID.

HE THEN DESCRIBED THE BASIC AIMS OF THE THREE STUDIES. "THE STUDY OF EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS AIMS ΤΟ DEFINE THE CONCEPTS OF 'STANDARDS' AND "QUALITY" IN EDUCATION; TO IDENTIFY OUR CURRENT SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES FOR MONITORING AND PROMOTING QUALITY; AND TO RECOMMEND WAYS TO ENSURE THAT, IN EVERY SECTOR OF EDUCATION, THESE SYSTEMS AND PROCEDURES ARE ADEQUATE AND EFFECTIVE.

/"THE STUDY