The QEF Steering Committee today (July 3) announced the results of the Outstanding School Award (OSA) scheme - a total of 21 schools will receive 24 awards, including six OSA and 18 Certificates of Merit (COM).
Announcing the results in a press conference, the QEF Steering Committee Chairman, Mr Irving Koo, said that the OSA scheme was conceptualised as an on-going quality school movement with the aim of enhancing the culture of quality education.
"It is an exercise to commend outstanding education practices identified in award-winning schools and promote their meritorious performance through dissemination activities," he said.
He stressed that the nominated schools were not competing with one another, but against the determined standards.
"Participating schools have to collate and supply relevant evidence to the OSA Adjudication Panel to demonstrate their ability to meet the criteria in the domains for which they are nominated," he said.
"This process in itself serves to facilitate schools' reflection, self-learning and improvement, thereby enhancing the culture of quality education," he added.
The OSA recipients are as follows:
Domain 1 - Management and Organisation
Oi Kwan Road Baptist Church Lui Kwok Pat Fong Kindergarten
Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School
Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road)
West Island School
Domain 3 - Support for Students and School Ethos
Yan Oi Tong Tin Ka Ping Secondary School
Domain 4 - Students' Attainment
Kiangsu-Chekiang College (Shatin)
The COM recipients are as follows:
Domain 1 - Management and Organisation
Hang Seng School of Commerce
Law Ting Pong Secondary School
Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School
Po Leung Kuk Wu Chung College
SKH Ka Fuk Wing Chun Primary School
Domain 2 - Teaching and Learning
Hong Chi Morninghill School, Tsui Lam
Hong Kong Ling Liang Church Kindergarten
Po Leung Kuk Chee Jing Yin Primary School (A.M.)
Po Leung Kuk Law's Foundation School
SKH Ka Fuk Wing Chun Primary School
SKH Wing Chun Primary School
Tai Po Old Market Public School (P.M.)
Domain 3 - Support for Students and School Ethos
Clementi Secondary School
Lam Tin Methodist Primary School
Shatin Tsung Tsin Secondary School
Domain 4 - Students' Attainment
Belilios Public School
Po Leung Kuk Luk Hing Too Primary School
Yan Chai Hospital No.2 Secondary School
On behalf of the Adjudication Panel, Mr Koo congratulated the awardees for their impressive achievements.
"The Panel also appreciates very much the efforts made by all the nominated schools. By taking the initiative to participate in the OSA, they have shown their commitment to quality education through continuous learning and development," he said.
"In general, the Adjudication Panel was able to identify many good and outstanding practices from the evidence submitted by the participating schools. The awardees are those who satisfy the requirements stipulated by the published indicators to a fuller extent than others, but we are very pleased to note that there are also many good practices demonstrated by the rest of the participating schools," he added
The OSA scheme was organized under the aegis of the QEF in response to a recommendation in Report No.7 of the Education Commission that a quality education culture be developed in Hong Kong.
It aims to give recognition and encouragement to schools with excellent practices and performance; to promote and disseminate schools' excellent education practices; and to cultivate a quality culture within the school sector to strive for excellence having regard to the schools' unique conditions.
In response to a call for nominations in June 1999, 184 schools representing nine per cent of the total number of schools in Hong Kong were nominated for 312 awards in the four domains of "Management and Organisation", "Teaching and Learning", "Support for Students and School Ethos" and "Students' Attainment".
An Adjudication Panel was set up to assess the nominations and select the awardees. It was originally to be chaired by distinguished community leader Dr Lee Quo-wei. But he was unable to chair the Panel due to personal reasons and former Chairman of Education Commission Professor Rosie Young was appointed as acting Chairman.
Other panel members included Mr Irving Koo, Director of Education Mr Matthew Cheung, former Director of Education Mr Li Yuet-ting, Board of Education Chairman Mr Moses Cheng, Registrar of the Hong Kong Institute of Education Dr Francis Cheung, Professor Lee Chi-kin of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, home-school cooperation consultant Mrs Susanna Tsoi and Principal Education Officer Mrs Ruth Lau.
Two international consultants, Professor Brian Caldwell of University of Melbourne, Australia, and Professor Bert Creemers of University of Groningen, the Netherlands, have also been appointed to advise on the selection criteria, process and approach for the exercise from an international perspective.
"The composition of the Adjudication Panel has ensured balanced views with professional input during the adjudication process," Mr Koo said.
"The nominations were assessed against a set of award criteria and grade descriptors, which had been drawn up with reference to relevant international literature and research, and affirmed by the two international consultants," he said.
"The adjudicators have devoted about 16,000 man-hours of voluntary work to the exercise in the past 18 months. Their valuable assistance and contributions in the exercise are highly appreciated," he added.
The completion of the adjudication represents the end of the first stage of the OSA scheme, during which the good practices of the nominated schools are identified.
"From now on, the OSA will enter into an important second stage in which the good practices identified will be disseminated so as to foster a quality culture within the school sector and a climate of mutual learning and collegial sharing among schools," Mr Koo said.
Dissemination activities, such as general debriefing sessions and experience sharing sessions, will be conducted. Such activities will inspire the school community to strive towards excellence in delivering quality education services in Hong Kong.
"We believe that the experience gained in the OSA exercise is valuable for all the schools concerned as they can reflect on where their strengths and weaknesses lie, and make plans to strive for excellence," Mr Koo said.
An award-presentation ceremony will be held on July 12.
End/Tuesday, July 3, 2001