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Extract from ECS
Machet ine No. 9. September iGaz
cher education and professional
hent
ort acknowledged that specialised teacher training is necessary in ve categories - pre-school, primary school, junior secondary. senior secondary and special education. About 50.000 primary and secondary teachers need to upgrade their qualifications to degree or post- graduate level. The government wants to encourage teachers, especially at primary level to do part-time degrees. ECR 5 refers to the idea of Advanced Teacher Certificates (ATC) which could be accumulated into a degree through a unit/credit system.
(Future of the Colleges of Education and the ILE
The report recommends the establishment of an independent body yo deal with teacher training in Hong Kong, a new Institute of Education. The teaching profession has long been fighting for a centralised co-ordinating body to plan evaluate and give advice to teacher training. The current teacher training courses are offered by different institutions including the two universities and the four Colleges of Education and Hong Kong Baptist College.
The Institute of Education would not be under the administration
the Education Department but would be governed by an autonomous coung. The Commission is considering way to better co-ordinate the work of the four teacher training colleges which traip non-graduates and the ILE, which provides in-service training for language teachers. Possible reforms include amalgating the colleges with tertiary institutions, unifying e colleges or affiliating them to the two universities which run their own post- qualification training for graduates.
The report also addressed the idea of a career structure that would motivate a teacher to remain in the profession and seek further training, as well the issue of parent-teacher relationships an issue brought about by the increased number of suicide cases among school children (17 reported in the 92/93 academic year).
ECR has been recewed with enthusiasm in Hong Kong but is felt that the fifteen year timescate for finalementation is too long. Educationists hoped the recommendations would e implemented immediately. The question remains of whether the government
the resources to implem
implemeny
has
recommendations.
Hong Kong AS Level examinations
the
The AS Level will be introduced in grammar and prevocational schools this academic year but some schoois have indicated that they are no confident in introducing some of these few subjects. Among the new coupes are Use of English. Chinese Language and Culture and Liberal Studies. Otherwise HK-AS Level courses are similar in curriculum content the UK AS Levels. It is hoped that UK institutions will End these acceptable for admission purposes.
UK-HK Joint Funding Scheme
The Hong Kong government has proposed that its contribution to the UK-HK Joint Funding Scheme for Hong Kong students to study in the UK should be abolished, thus saving a sum of HK$30M. In the past three years an average of 1,700 Hong Kong students per year were given a grant from this scheme. The proposal will be put before the Executive Council during the coming year.
It is estimated that 50% of HND and first degree Hong Kong students presently studying in the UK have their fees subsidized under
this scheme, and receive an average grant of £2.600 per year.
Diploma in Management
HKU is offering 3 First Diploma in management designed for mature candidates who do not have any form academic qualifications but do have significant work experience. Succesful candidates will be able to apply to read for the MBA which Hong Kong University Business School has specially adapted for the diploma graduates. It is not yet known whether the HKU Diploma will lead to entry to other MBA programmes either in
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