ENG-1998 — Page 188

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CHAPTER 9 EDUCATION

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An Overview

HONG KONG'S overall education objective is to ensure that young people receive an all-round quality education to prepare them for life and work and to provide them with an aptitude towards lifelong learning. During 1998, the government continued to build on the momentum of initiatives and reforms introduced the previous year to enhance the quality of education in Hong Kong.

An ambitious school building programme was implemented to cater for new demand arising from demographic changes and to enable virtually all primary school children to study in whole-day primary schools by 2007. Efforts to improve the professional training and standards of teachers were stepped up. Language benchmarks were being developed for all new and serving teachers. Training will be provided to enable teachers to attain these standards and all sub-degree pre-service teacher training places will be progressively upgraded to degree or above level.

In this information age, it is the government's prime objective to promote information technology in education to broaden young people's knowledge, to enable them to acquire a global outlook, and to develop in them the capability for independent lifelong learning. Schools are being provided with the necessary facilities. and support, and teachers with training at different competence levels.

Hong Kong remains committed to promoting mother-tongue teaching because students in general learn best in their mother-tongue. At the same time, efforts will continue to improve the teaching and learning of English as a core subject.

The establishment of the Quality Education Fund provided an efficient channel of resources for innovative initiatives in the areas of teaching and learning, school management and education research. Schools will be provided with the means to practise school-based management by 2000.

Higher education has developed very rapidly in the past 10 years. Tertiary institutions must now consolidate and strive for enhanced quality and they are encouraged to develop their academic strengths into internationally recognised ‘areas of excellence'.

Drawing on a wide range of expert advice, a review of the education-related executive and advisory bodies was undertaken. It rationalised the relationship among various advisory bodies and affirmed the government's commitment to further its partnership with these bodies.

Each element of the education system must be closely co-ordinated. In order to have in place an education structure which would meet Hong Kong's needs for the