TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 286

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Plan, with very detailed comprehensive statements covering policy

objectives, forecast of demand, current and approved planning provision,

shortfall (or overprovision), alternative courses of action and finance.

In recent years, however, Programme Plans have not been extensively used

for education policy since development has been by means of green and

white papers.

There are some exceptions: development of special education,

for example, is by means of the Rehabilitation Programme Plan, it being

recognised that the various rehabilitation services provided by the

Education, Medical and Health, Social Welfare and Labour departments must

be co-ordinated by means of a master-plan under central administrative

control.

The Planning and Building Division

4.29

The Planning and Building Division came into being in August

1977 following the merger of the then Administration and Development

divisions, each headed by an Assistant Director. The merger stemmed

from a major reorganisation of the Education Department's directorate,

which sought to redress an imbalance in the distribution of functions

and responsibilities at both the Deputy Director and the Assistant

Director levels. The Planning and Building Division is on the one hand

the "think tank" of the department and on the other hand is charged with

responsibility for the physical implementation of education policies by

providing sufficient school places. The Assistant Director is the chief

planner of the department, responsible (under the direction of SAD(P & D))

for the formulation of strategies for the achievement of new policy

objectives, for the development of new concepts within the education.

system and for the co-ordination of inter-divisional planning efforts.

At the same time he is also responsible for identifying and solving

problems occurring in the implementation of approved policies and for

ensuring that the school system as a whole is sufficiently flexible to

respond to the increasing demands being placed upon it. The Assistant

Director is supported in his role as planner by three separate sections