ENG-2012 — Page 173

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Education

To support schools in the teaching and learning of English and the implementation of the fine- tuned MOI arrangements, from the 2010-11 school year, funding has been made available, under the Refined English Enhancement Scheme, for secondary schools to implement their whole-school language policy and finance the related support measures. To enhance teachers' professional capacity, tertiary institutions have been commissioned to organise in-service professional development programmes on using English as the MOI for content subjects and for promoting language across the curriculum within schools.

Native-speaking English Teacher (NET) Scheme

There are some 410 NETs working in secondary schools and about 460 NETs working in primary schools. NETs collaborate with local English teachers to enhance teaching and to make learning English more interesting for students. Their presence has helped create an enriched English language learning environment for students and contributed to the adoption of more innovative teaching strategies. With the implementation of the scheme, there have been favourable changes in classroom practice and students have shown a more positive attitude towards the learning of English.

Moral, Civic and National Education

Values education, which includes moral education, civic education and sex education, has been part of the Hong Kong school curriculum since 1981. It includes teaching positive values and developing students' ability to analyse and judge various life issues on the basis of long-term principles. Following a review of the curriculum begun in 2010, the Government proposed making moral and national education a separate subject and published a draft curriculum guide for consultation in May 2011. In the light of the views received, an extensively revised guide was published in April 2012, setting out a framework aimed at cultivating students' positive values and attitudes and developing their ability to judge personal, family, social, national and global issues, and enhancing their willingness to commit and contribute in different aspects of life. The guide made specific provision for schools and school sponsoring bodies to integrate their education/social/religious/philanthropic missions with the curriculum objectives.

The publication in July 2012 of 'The China Model Handbook' by the National Education Services Centre (a non-governmental organisation which received general sponsorship from the Government) as reference material for teachers triggered fears of brainwashing in the general public. Taking heed of public sentiment, the Government announced on 8 September that the moral and national education subject would not be mandatory and that schools and their sponsoring bodies could exercise their professional judgement as to whether or not to implement the subject and, if so, the format and timetable for its implementation. The Government subsequently announced on 8 October 2012 that the curriculum guide would be formally shelved and that the Government would not request schools to adopt the guide, nor would it use the guide as the basis for school inspection.

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