ENG-1997 — Page 184

CHAPTER 10

EDUCATION

132

DURING 1997, the government continued to accord high priority to maintaining and upgrading the quality of education at all levels. A $5 billion Quality Education Fund was set up to promote quality and innovations in the school sector. Other efforts to improve the quality of education included the promotion of Information Technology applications in schools, upgrading the teaching and learning environment, and enhancing the professional quality of principals and teachers.

An Overview

About 1.2 million students, or 19 per cent of the total population, were in full-time education during the year. Approved public recurrent and capital spending on education in the 1997-98 financial year amounted to $38.12 billion and $45.52 billion respectively, representing 21 per cent of the government's total recurrent expenditure and 18 per cent of the total public expenditure. Tertiary education accounts for about one-third of the education budget.

The majority of places from primary school upwards were provided either free of charge or at highly subsidised rates. Since the early 1960s, the government has bought places from private secondary schools under the Bought Place Scheme (BPS) to make up the shortfall in government and aided school places. To enhance the quality of private secondary schools and to provide parents with a wider choice, since 1991 private secondary schools meeting specified standards can apply for admission to the Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) and receive a government subsidy. DSS schools are free to decide their own curriculum and set entrance requirements and fee levels. In the 1997-98 school year, 18 BPS schools had contracts with the government, and 13 schools were on the DSS. As the BPS will be phased out in 2001, schools on the scheme are being helped to raise their standards so that they can become eligible for joining the DSS before their contracts expire.

Regulatory Legislation

Any institution which provides education for 20 or more persons during any one day or eight or more persons at any one time; any nursery, kindergarten, primary, secondary or post-secondary education or any other educational courses must be registered as a school under the Education Ordinance (Chapter 279). It must comply with the provisions under the ordinance and the Education Regulations such as the registration of teachers and managers, health and safety requirements, fees and charges, and teacher qualifications.