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TOC implementation on target

The Education Department has so far received applications from 69 primary schools, including government schools, aided, private and special schools, to join the first phase of implementation of the Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC) in September 1995.

"The applications came from an array of sponsoring bodies," a spokesman of the Education Department said.

"A few more schools have notified the department that their forms are on the way or that they are awaiting the endorsement of their management committees. The total number of applications is therefore likely to exceed the target of 70 schools.

"The department will still entertain requests from those who had already notified the department of their intention but whose forms have not yet been received," he said.

He pointed out that staff of the participating schools would be given priority in the teacher education programme to ensure that they were well- equipped for full implementation of TOC in September 1995,

"Staff of the Education Department will be available to help these schools solve their teething problems, if any, when called upon to do so," he added.

The spokesman suggested schools which have not joined the first phase of full implementation to prepare for the second phase in 1996/97, for example, through using the materials provided by the Education Department or trying out target- oriented task-based teaching.

"More back-up materials are being developed and will be displayed at the TOC resource centre at the Government Offices in To Kwa Wan. Teaching and learning packages produced by educational publishers will be available around April next year," he said.

end/Sunday, December 4, 1994