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Education

students were admitted by Mainland institutions. In the 2014-15 academic year, the number of participating institutions will increase from 70 to 75, located in 14 Mainland provinces and municipalities.

Information Technology in Education

The Pilot Scheme on e-Learning in Schools is a three-year project spreading across the 2011-12 to 2013-14 school years. The 21 selected school projects involved 61 primary, secondary and special schools. They will serve as research and development centres to develop school-based e-learning resources, validate when and how e-learning works best, bring about effective interactive learning, cater for learner diversity and help find ways to promote e-learning in local schools.

Language Education

The Standing Committee on Language Education and Research advises the government on language education matters. It also advises the trustee of the Language Fund (which funds initiatives to improve Hong Kong people's proficiency in Chinese (including Putonghua) and English) on the policy and procedures governing the fund's operation.

Starting with Secondary 1 from the 2010-11 school year and progressing each year to a higher junior secondary level, secondary schools (taking account of their students' ability and interests, their teachers' capability and readiness, and school support measures) can have the flexibility to decide their own medium of instruction arrangements to increase students' opportunities for exposure to, and use of, English.

From the 2010-11 school year, funding has been available under the Refined English Enhancement Scheme to support secondary schools in the teaching and learning of English. Tertiary institutions have been commissioned to organise development programmes for teachers on using English as the medium of instruction and for promoting its use.

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. The scheme has brought about changes in classroom practice and students have shown a more positive attitude towards the learning of English.

Moral, Civic and National Education

The EDB accords great importance to students' all-round development. Moral, civic and national education is one of the Hong Kong school curriculum's five essential learning experiences, alongside intellectual development, community service, physical and aesthetic development and career-related experiences.

Schools in Hong Kong, though funded largely by the government, are run by school sponsoring bodies (SSBs), many of which are religious and philanthropic non-governmental

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