ENG-2018 — Page 167

Chapter 8

Education

In an increasingly competitive and connected world, education is of vital importance. The importance the government attaches to education is reflected in the increase in total government expenditure on education from $75 billion in 2008-09 to $113.7 billion in 2018-19 estimates, or 20 per cent of total government spending.

The Secretary for Education, who heads the Education Bureau, formulates, develops and reviews educational policies, secures funds from the government budget, and oversees the implementation of educational programmes with the support of the Permanent Secretary for Education.

Total government expenditure on education in 2018-19 estimates is $113.7 billion, making up 20 per cent of total government expenditure. Of this, $84.6 billion is recurrent expenditure on education, comprising 20.8 per cent of total recurrent government expenditure.

The Education Commission advises the Secretary for Education on overall educational objectives and policies and the priorities in implementing its recommendations, coordinates the work of major education-related advisory bodies, oversees the operation of the Quality Education Fund, and submits its reports and recommendations to the Secretary for Education.

The commission comprises a chairman, a vice-chairman who is the Permanent Secretary for Education, eight ex-officio members and a number of non-official members. The eight ex-officio members are the chairpersons of the Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals, the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education, the Curriculum Development Council, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Council, the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee, the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Vocational Training Council (VTC). The non-official members come from both education and non-education fields.

The UGC is a non-statutory body appointed by the Chief Executive. It offers impartial and expert advice to the government on the funding and development of higher education, and provides assurance to the government and the community on the standards and cost-effectiveness of the operations of the eight publicly funded universities, known as UGC-funded universities.

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