Chapter 3 : Going Forward with the Education Reform

The implementation of the education reform commenced in October 2000. Over the past year, a number of reform measures were put in place incrementally, including the reform of the POA and SSPA systems, as well as increasing opportunities for senior secondary and higher education. In addition, a number of measures were introduced to strengthen support for schools and teachers. In light of past experiences and views received from frontline educators and members of the community, improvement will be made in implementation arrangements and support measures.

The progress in the initial stage of reform implementation may be summarized as follows:

For students, learning has become more interesting. The curricula have become more diversified, providing students with more exposure to different life experiences and opportunities for developing different potentials and enhancing their personal quality. Moreover, the learning environment has been further improved. Talented students are allowed to excel, while the academically low achievers are provided with additional support.

For school principals and teachers, their opportunities for professional development have been enhanced and they are provided with greater autonomy in designing curriculum and teaching strategies. The resource support for schools and teachers has also been improved. There are more professional sharing activities among schools and teachers and the collaboration between schools and other sectors has also become more frequent.

For the community at large, the school system has become more diversified; parents are provided with more choices; and more and more young people have the opportunity to receive post-secondary education.

The Way Forward

In the course of proceeding with the education reform in the future, we hope to enhance the public's understanding of various reform measures for different stages of education, and to strengthen communication with various sectors and promote their participation in the reform. With the support and cooperation of schools, teachers, students, parents and the community at large, the education reform will bear fruit before too long.

Comprehensive and systematic research will be conducted to understand the impact of various reform measures on schools, teachers and students. They will provide useful reference for monitoring the effectiveness of the education reform, assessing the quality of education and carrying out various interim reviews. Through these researches, it will be easier to identify successful experiences for consolidation and dissemination.

In 2002, the following reviews will be completed and public consultations will be conducted:

1. Review of the systems of kindergartens and child care centres (conducted by the Joint Working Group set up by the Education Department and the Social Welfare Department);
2. Review of language education (conducted by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research);
3. Review of teachers' professional development (conducted by the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications);
4. Review of the senior secondary academic structure, post-secondary education and continuing education (conducted by the Education Commission); and
5. Review of higher education (conducted by the UGC).

Concluding Remarks

The success of the education reform hinges on the support and cooperation of various stakeholders. Communication and partnerships among the Government, school sponsoring bodies, principals, teachers, parents, students and other sectors will be strengthened. With concerted effort, we are confident that the education reform will be implemented effectively. For transparency of the reform implementation, we will report progress to the public and exchange views with various stakeholders on the reform implementation on a regular basis.

The Success of the Education Reform
Relies on the Support and Cooperation of Different Stakeholders

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