ENG-2004 — Page 202

168 Education

students with various learning opportunities to strengthen their national identity, and the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) organised a variety of programmes from September to November for all the students of Hong Kong.

Extension of Yi Jin Programme to Secondary School

To provide an additional progression pathway for Secondary 5 students who do not wish to pursue the traditional senior secondary curriculum and sit for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE), the EMB introduced, as a pilot scheme, the Yi Jin Secondary Schools Collaboration Project in 10 secondary schools in the 2004-05 school year. The scheme adopts the curriculum of Project Yi Jin which has been offered since the 2000-01 school year to secondary school leavers and adult learners. Students who can successfully complete the programme will be awarded a full certificate assessed by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation (HKCAA) as comparable to five passes in the HKCEE for continuing education and employment purposes.

Professional Qualification and Development for Principals

For appointment to principalship from the 2004-05 school year and thereafter, aspiring principals are required to attain the Certification for Principalship, which comprises a needs analysis, a preparatory course for principalship course and satisfactory completion of a professional development portfolio.

A new needs analysis package has been developed to help serving principals reflect on their professional development needs with close reference to the operating context of their schools.

A Principal Support Network has been set up under the School Based Professional Support Scheme to facilitate collegial sharing among principals. More than 20 experienced principals have been seconded to pair up with partner principals to work on school management and development issues that were of mutual interest

or concern.

Professional Qualification and Development for Teachers

Following the issue of a document on Teacher Competencies Framework and Teachers' Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in November 2003, a three- year try-out period has been introduced for teachers and schools to experiment with the content, quantity, record-keeping and resources allocation of CPD. The Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications (ACTEQ) has set up a Steering Committee on Teachers' CPD to disseminate good practices and provide support to help schools develop school-based CPD policy, with emphasis on the quality and processes of CPD.

The Education (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2004 was introduced to raise the entry qualification requirement of kindergarten, primary and secondary school teachers and took effect from October 1, 2004. The provision allowing permitted teachers holding the minimum qualifications or an approved degree but without a recognised teacher training qualification to attain registered teacher status through accumulation of teaching experience has also been abolished.