Mr Irving Koo, Chairman of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee (QEFSC), has today announced the adoption of a more focussed approach for the 5th call for applications.
"The QEF has approved grants totalling more than $2,700 million for 4,341 projects since its set up in December 1997. I am happy to note that our education sector has generally found the QEF a useful catalyst for promoting quality education initiatives," Mr Koo said.
"With the progressive completion of projects funded in the past, we decide to build on this success and from now on we would like to be more strategic in our vision and approach," he said.
"We feel that it is important to study more closely the experiences of those who completed the projects in the past so as to promote those practices which other schools may usefully draw reference from," Mr Koo continued.
"We intend to disseminate the good practices distilled from the successful projects at this juncture and we believe that an effective dissemination strategy would benefit not only the grantees, but also enable us to maximise the Fund's impact," he said.
For the 5th call for applications, the QEF Steering Committee has agreed on the following framework:
All applications should focus on three designated themes - "project learning/curriculum integration", "moral and civic education" and "reading proficiency". All these themes tie in with the current focus of the implementation of education reform.
To encourage schools which have never applied for QEF funding or which have yet to be successful in their applications other than for installing air-conditioners in classrooms and libraries, to submit applications, they are allowed to submit applications going beyond these three prescribed themes.
All pre-primary, primary, secondary and special schools will be eligible to apply, provided that they do not have any QEF projects in hand as at 1 September 2002 in the capacity of a grantee.
"In addition, only one application per school will be considered. Any school which is involved in any application in the 5th call as a collaborating party or as a participant of the proposed project will be regarded as having submitted one application," Mr Koo said.
This however does not mean that other bodies, such as tertiary institutions, have no role to play. Schools can, on a need basis, draw on the expertise of other bodies in the conception and delivery of their projects.
"As with the last call, the special category of project grant for air-conditioning of classrooms and libraries in public sector schools will continue to be considered in the coming 5th call for applications, despite that the schools may have on-going QEF projects in hand as at 1 September 2002," Mr Koo said. This is to honour the goodwill of the Hong Kong Jockey Club which has generously agreed to provide a matching grant of 50% of the cost of the air-conditioning projects.
Where projects have been funded in previous calls on a pilot or phased basis and have proven to be successful, the QEF Steering Committee may consider the continued funding of such projects on a case-by-case basis and on their own merits.
"I am hopeful that the above arrangements will encourage the submission of quality projects," Mr Koo said. "It will also enable the Steering Committee to devote more efforts to monitoring and promoting approved projects as well as mapping out an effective strategy for the dissemination of good practices that have evolved from QEF projects".
The QEF was set up to fund bottom-up initiatives which promote quality education and to disseminate the good practices of the successful projects to the wider education community.
The formal invitation of applications for the fifth call for applications will be announced later. For enquiry, please contact the QEF Secretariat through the hotline 2921 8833.
End/Friday, September 14, 2001