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EDUCATION

During the year, preparations continued for introducing bilingual A-Level examinations in 1992 (they are currently offered in English only), and for new Advanced Supplementary examinations to be offered for the first time in 1994. The last Higher Levels will be held in 1992.

The Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation

The HKCAA was established by Ordinance in June 1990 to conduct academic accreditation for the non-university degree granting institutions, to ensure that the degrees they award meet internationally-recognised standards. The council has 22 members including experts in higher education accreditation, local and overseas academics and local industrialists and business people. It employs a small permanent secretariat.

During its first year of work three institutions and 29 courses were reviewed. In July, an international conference was hosted on the theme of Quality Assurance in Higher Educa- tion. Over 100 participants from more than 20 countries attended. One important outcome was a decision to establish an international network of similar agencies. The HKCAA will provide initial administrative support, and produce a bulletin to inform member agencies of the latest developments in systems of evaluation and quality assurance.

Other work during the year included seminars and workshops on credit unit systems, accreditation principles and practices, the role of the course leader, and the use of statistics in performance assessment. Discussions on credit transfer were held with the tertiary institutions, and advice was provided to enquirers on the status of tertiary qualifications, both local and foreign.

School Management Committees

Under the Education Ordinance, each school is managed by its own management committee, which employs the staff and is responsible for the proper education of the pupils and the operation of the school. One of the managers must be registered as the supervisor, whose main role is to be the point of contact between the management committee and the department.

Each aided primary or secondary school is operated, under a Letter of Agreement, by its sponsoring body, which contributes the full cost of furnishing and equipping the premises, and nominates the first supervisor of the school. In September 1991, a total of 923 schools were in the care of 255 sponsoring bodies, with between one and 74 schools operated by any one body.

Governing Bodies of Tertiary Institutions

Each degree-granting institution is a statutory body governed by its own Board of Governors or Council. Apart from staff representatives and the head of the institution, a majority of members are drawn from the community. Some institutions are required by their ordinances to include on the governing body members experienced in commerce and industry. In practice, all governing bodies include a number of prominent business people and industrialists, to ensure that the institution is accountable to the community and that its services are relevant to Hong Kong's needs.

Funding of Education

Approved public spending on education in the 1991-2 financial year, at HK$20,400 million, represented 84 per cent of the government's total recurrent expenditure and 16 per