TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 361

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schools and (in a few cases) the universities and Polytechnic. Textbooks

are submitted for review by publishers or may be obtained by the Committee

as a result of their being included in textbook lists submitted for

Departmental approval. After evaluation, the titles of books which are

considered fully suitable for use in schools are placed on the Recommended

List, which is regularly updated and issued to all schools. The Committee

also recommends the banning of those books which it considers may do

positive educational harm, and schools are then asked to remove any

banned books from their lists. Schools may use textbooks which are not

on the Recommended List and have not been banned (provided they have

submitted details to the Director as required), though in such cases

inspectors will offer advice on a more suitable choice (a task which has

to be carried out with scrupulous impartiality to avoid any suggestion of

corruption). Schools are now required to submit details of textbooks

well in advance of their intended use so that the Inspectorate has

sufficient time to consider their suitability. The 1980 Green Paper

contains proposals for the improvement of the textbook reviewing service.

At present, reviewers (who are appointed by invitation) are not paid for

their services and the reviewing process is consequently slow. It is

proposed that in future reviewers should be paid and a rigid timetable

for reviewing established. Because publishers will benefit from a speedy

service it is considered that they should pay an agreed service charge

to cover the costs of the payment to reviewers and the administration of

the scheme.

7.13

There are still too many textbooks in Hong Kong, mainly locally

produced, which are mediocre by any standards. These are usually

commissioned by publishers from teachers for relatively low fees or

royalties, are often cheaply produced and sold openly as examination

crammers, encouraging rote-learning of the worst kind. Such books present

problems in that the Department cannot control their use (except in the