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Education

facilitate the use of mobile computing devices for e-learning and a comprehensive range of other supporting measures.

As at the end of 2015, 30 sets of e-textbooks covering various subjects at primary and junior secondary levels developed under the e-Textbook Market Development Scheme (EMADS) have been included on the Recommended e-Textbook List for school use. By the completion of Phase Two of the EMADS in 2016, it is expected that a further four sets of e-textbooks will have been developed.

Post-secondary Education

Overview

Hong Kong has 20 local degree-awarding post-secondary education institutions, eight of which are funded by the public through the University Grants Committee (UGC). The other 12 are the publicly funded Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and the self-financing Caritas Institute of Higher Education, Centennial College, Chu Hai College of Higher Education, Gratia Christian College, Hang Seng Management College, HKCT Institute of Higher Education, Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education, Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Open University of Hong Kong, Tung Wah College and the VTC's Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong. Together with providers offering locally accredited sub-degree programmes, there are around 30 post-secondary institutions.

In the 2015-16 academic year, around 15,170 publicly funded first-year-first-degree intake places were provided by the UGC-funded institutions and the HKAPA and about 9,060 places in the self-financing undergraduate programmes. In addition, the UGC-funded institutions and the self-financing degree-awarding institutions provided around 4,300 senior year undergraduate places and 12,200 top-up degree places respectively for graduates of sub-degree programmes and students with other qualifications. At the sub-degree level, there were around 27,000 and 11,000 intake places respectively for self-financing and publicly funded sub-degree programmes for the 2015-16 academic year.

Increasing Post-secondary Education Opportunities

The government promotes the sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary sector through a basket of support measures, including providing land and premises at nominal premium and rent, interest-free start-up loans, the $3.52 billion Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund, student finance and quality assurance subsidies.

As at the end of 2015, around $7.3 billion of start-up loans to post-secondary institutions out of the total $9 billion commitment had been approved. In the 2014-15 academic year, $71.76 million in scholarships were awarded under the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund to 4,139 recipients and grants totalling more than $41 million were approved for nine projects under the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme.

The number of publicly funded senior year undergraduate places available at UGC-funded institutions for those with sub-degree qualifications to enter in the third year will be increased by 1,000 over the period from 2015-16 to 2018-19. This will offer more opportunities for such

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