Hong Kong University Graduates Association Education Foundation

By the Hong Kong University Graduates Association Education Foundation

The Hong Kong University Graduates Association (HKUGA) Education Foundation invited Mr Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, JP, Secretary for Education, to be the guest speaker to give an inspiring presentation on “The Key Challenge about Education in 2018” at its Annual Dinner on December 14, 2017.

Talent is the most important element in Hong Kong’s continued development, and education is the key to nurturing talent. Government expenditure on education is the most meaningful investment for Hong Kong’s future development. In 2017-18, recurrent expenditure on education is estimated at $80.9 billion, accounting for 21.7% of government recurrent expenditure. New education resources, covering the whole spectrum of the education system from kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, integrated education, special education to post-secondary education, are being launched progressively starting from September 2017.

The Government needs to carry out in-depth reviews on eight key areas of education, including professional development of teachers, curriculum arrangement, assessment system, Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET), self-financing post-secondary education, School-based Management (SBM), parent education and University Grants Committee (UGC)’s funding on research and student hostels. The Education Bureau (EDB) will set up task forces to take forward the reviews of these various areas.

In response to the concern of the HKUGA Education Foundation, a school-sponsoring body, on school-based management (SBM), Mr Yeung stated that a task force on the optimisation of the SBM Policy has been set up to enhance the understanding of the roles and responsibilities of school-sponsoring bodies, incorporated management committees, and the EDB. The task force also aims to strengthen the administrative capabilities of schools and streamline schools’ administration processes in order to release teachers' capacity for teaching, professional development and exchanges on education policies.

Mr Yeung concluded that “The Government’s vision for education is to nurture future generations to be quality citizens who are socially responsible and equipped with a sense of national identity, a love for Hong Kong and an international perspective. We should create a stable, caring, inspiring and satisfying teaching and learning environment for students, teachers, parents and principals.”

Details of the dinner talk and an archive of the presentation can be found at http://www.hkuga-ef.org.hk/eng/index.htm.