ENG-2003 — Page 194

EDUCATION

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mechanism basically retains the various elements in the old SSPA system, except with the increase of the percentage of discretionary places from 10 per cent to 20 per cent, the abolition of the AAT and the reduction of the allocation bands from five to three. In mid-2003, the Education Commission set up a Working Group to review the interim SSPA mechanism and the existing MOI policy for secondary schools, with a view to recommending a long-term SPA mechanism and MOI arrangements, which are educationally sound and beneficial to students. Public consultation would be conducted in 2004 with a view to gauging the public's views on the issues.

Curriculum Reform

The Government is continuing with other aspects of the education reform, which include the curricula and teaching methods, and the assessment mechanism to help enhance learning and teaching effectiveness. On school curriculum reform, the Government is capitalising on past achievements in taking forward projects on curriculum planning, effective pedagogy and assessment. More resources in learning, teaching and assessment will be developed to support the primary and secondary curricula. For instance, the Curriculum Development Council will develop, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, combined Curriculum and Assessment Guides for more examination subjects to align assessment with curriculum, and learning with teaching. A pilot scheme of Career- Oriented Curriculum for senior secondary students is also under way. Its intention is to promote diversity in school curricula to meet the needs of students who would benefit from learning in areas with specific career orientation alongside more academic studies.

Overall Education Landscape

Education Commission

The Education Commission (EC) is responsible for advising the Government on the overall educational objectives and policies, and the priorities for implementation as well as coordinating the work of all other major education-related advisory bodies on the planning and development of education at all levels. Following the merger of the Education and Manpower Bureau and the Education Department, the EC and the Board of Education, which advised the department on educational matters, were merged in early 2003 to streamline the advisory structure. After the merger, the EC also advises the Government on implementation issues with important policy implications to ensure better synergy between policy formulation and implementation.

Early Childhood Education

In September 2003, 137 000 children were enrolled in 768 kindergartens. All of them are privately run.

The Government plays an important role in promoting the development of quality kindergarten education through various means. They include upgrading the qualifications of kindergarten principals and teachers; providing financial support to kindergartens in the form of rent reimbursement and a subsidy scheme to employ more qualified teachers without increasing kindergarten fees substantially; conducting quality assurance inspections and promoting, in the longer term, school self- evaluation and an external monitoring mechanism.