TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 253

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pre-primary and primary education, junior secondary education, senior

secondary education other than sixth-form education, and miscellaneous

education matters. The miscellaneous matters in the schedules of the

two Assistant Secretaries at present cover proposals concerning language

in education, teacher supply and demand, a review of provident funds,

Hong Kong students overseas, the school building programme, a review of

the codes of aid, measures to improve school education, the Hong Kong

Examinations Authority, the English Schools Foundation and student travel

subsidy. These functions will be transferred to the new Education Branch

when it becomes operational, and the staff establishment of the Secretary

for Education and the division of responsibility among his staff will

then be determined in the light of the rapidly growing responsibilities

of this policy area.

3.18

The relationship between the policy Secretary and the Director

of Education requires explanation. Before 1973 each policy branch of the

Government Secretariat dealt with all aspects of the work of a number of

departments. This meant that frequently no single branch or department

was responsible for all of the activities relating to one 'programme'

(defined as a "continuing service to the public, direct or indirect").

For example, a crime prevention programme would involve several departments

and branches (police, education, social welfare, prisons, legal, defence,

social services) and it was only at the level of the Colonial Secretary

(now named the Chief Secretary) and Financial Secretary that there was

a clear responsibility for programme results. To settle a relatively

simple issue in one programme often required a meeting of several senior

officers. To deal with this problem a new system was adopted in 1973,

by which policy branch responsibilities are now related to groups of

programmes rather than groups of departments. Thus, in the field of

education the present policy Secretary co-ordinates education programmes

the main thrust of which obviously comes from the Education Department