ENG-2012 — Page 175

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Education

examinations. In addition, school-based and district-based grants are disbursed by the Government to support needy students' whole person development.

Financial Assistance for Post-secondary Education

Means-tested grants and low-interest loans are offered to eligible full-time students pursuing eligible courses at UGC-funded or publicly-funded institutions. In the 2011-12 school year, 26,330 students received $931 million of grants and $253.2 million of loans. Eligible students pursuing locally-accredited, self-financing full-time post-secondary programmes are also provided with means-tested grants and low-interest loans. In the 2011-12 school year, $952.2 million of grants and $276.2 million of loans were provided to 22,878 students.

Non-means-tested loans operating on a no-gain-no-loss and full-cost-recovery basis are available to students pursuing eligible publicly-funded or self-financing post-secondary programmes, and eligible professional or continuing education courses. In the 2011-12 school year, 21,279 people received loans amounting to $1.1 billion.

The Government completed a review of the operation of the non-means-tested loan schemes in 2012 and implemented a number of improvement measures to relieve the burden of repaying student loans, to prevent excessive borrowing by students, and to encourage enhancement in quality assurance of eligible courses in the 2012-13 school year.

Travel subsidies totalling $128.3 million were provided to 43,737 students of post-secondary institutions.

Tuition Fee Reimbursement for Yi Jin Diploma Students and Adult Education

All eligible students of Yi Jin Diploma and designated evening adult education courses may receive reimbursement of 30 per cent of the tuition fee reimbursement, with an additional amount for those who pass a means test.

Scholarships

The $2.25 billion Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Scholarship Fund was established to award Government scholarships on the basis of merit to outstanding local and non-local students studying in full-time publicly-funded programmes at sub-degree and degree level or above in the eight UGC-funded institutions, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Vocational Training Council. In the self-financing higher education sector, a $3.5 billion Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund was set up to provide scholarships to outstanding students pursuing full-time locally-accredited self-financing sub-degree or bachelor degree programmes, and to support worthwhile initiatives and schemes to enhance and assure the quality of self-financing post-secondary education.

The Government's Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers aims to attract persons proficient in English to pursue local bachelor degree programmes and/or teacher training programmes majoring in English or a relevant subject which will qualify them to become English teachers on graduation. Other scholarships and award schemes recognise not only post-secondary students' outstanding academic performance but also achievements and talents in other non-academic fields.

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