ENG-2003 — Page 198

EDUCATION

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Adult Education

The Government commissioned school operators to run evening courses at primary to senior secondary levels for 6 073 adult learners in the 2003-04 school year. It also subvented a variety of adult education programmes operated by non-governmental organisations, offering a total of 17 124 places.

Project Yi Jin

The Government launched Project Yi Jin in October 2000 to provide an alternative route to expand the continuing education opportunities for secondary school leavers and adult learners. The programme aims to upgrade students' knowledge in biliteracy, trilingualism, and information technology application through combining academic pursuits with practical skills training. Successful completion of the programme will lead to a qualification comparable to five passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination for employment and continuing education purposes. The programme is run by member institutions of the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions, and has both full-time and part-time modes. In the 2003-04 school year, over 3 600 full-time and part-time students enrolled in the programme.

Qualifications Framework

To improve the quality of the manpower through lifelong learning, the Government proposes to set up a qualifications framework (QF) and an associated quality assurance mechanism. In its simplest form, a QF is a hierarchy of qualifications organised into different levels. It will provide clear information on standards of courses and providers in the academic and vocational and continuing education sectors. With clear and flexible progression pathways, learners can draw up their own road maps to upgrade themselves and acquire higher qualifications. Given a transparent quality assurance mechanism and through the major stakeholders' participation in the process, qualifications in the QF will be given wide recognition. The Government has consulted the public on the proposal and examined the feedback. It has also conducted a number of pilot studies on the framework. The Government proposes to develop the QF step by step with the advice of the Manpower Development Committee, which was set up in October 2002 to advise on policies for developing Hong Kong's human resources.

Regulatory Framework and Governance Structure

The Government's Role and Organisation

The Secretary for Education and Manpower, who heads the Education and Manpower Bureau of the Government Secretariat, formulates and reviews education policy, secures funds in the government budget, and oversees the effective implementation of educational programmes. The Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower assists him in formulating, coordinating and implementing education policies with the support of the bureau. The bureau merged with the former Education Department in January, and had an establishment of 6 255 at year-end. The reorganisation has brought about better synergy between policy formulation and implementation, improved communication and enhanced efficiency.