The Quality Education Fund (QEF) was launched by the acting Chief Executive, Mrs Anson Chan, at a ceremony today (Thursday).
At the ceremony, Mrs Chan said that basic education was the pillar of social progress and the Government all along attached great importance to its.
Noting that substantial resources are devoted to this area every year, she said the financial provision for basic education would increase by more than 16 per cent over the previous year, as shown in the 1998/99 Budget.
Mrs Chan also stressed that the QEF would mark a significant step forward in the Government's endeavour on the educational front.
"It is aimed at encouraging the education community to take the initiative in introducing improvements and innovations to school education by providing a flexible funding mechanism with a bottom-up approach.
"The QEF Steering Committee is now devising an award scheme for outstanding schools and teachers. The purpose is to give due recognition to teachers and schools with commendable performance based on a comprehensive set of equitable criteria," Mrs Chan said.
The Chairman of the QEF Steering Committee, Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin, also said after the ceremony that the QEF would provide an effective channel to fund worthwhile projects to improve the quality of basic education in Hong Kong.
Mr Koo envisaged that the role of the QEF Steering Committee would include advising on the strategies for making use of the QEF as a vehicle to enhance the overall quality of school education, encouraging the education sector to apply for funding to undertake innovative projects, assessing funding applications, disseminating the achievements of effective projects, and establishing channels of communication with front-line educators in promoting quality school education.
Also officiating at today's launching ceremony were the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, chairman of the Education Commission, Professor Rosie Young, Chairman of the QEF Steering committee, Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin and Director of Education, Mrs Helen C P Lai Yu.
Around 1,500 heads of nurseries, kindergartens, primary, secondary and special schools, representatives of major school sponsoring bodies, teachers' associations, education bodies and academics attended the ceremony.
The ceremony was followed by three seminars which discussed how the school sector could best utilise the QEF as a vehicle to improve school education.
As guest speakers at the seminars, Professor Cheng Kai-ming, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Chung Yu-ping, Dean of Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Professor Cheng Yin-cheong, Director of Centre for Research and Development, Hong Kong Institute of Education shared their opinions on quality school education with representatives from pre-primary and special sector, secondary schools and primary schools respectively.
"Members of the Steering Committee and the participants found that the open forums provided a useful opportunity to exchange views on the operational aspects of the Fund. The QEF Secretariat will organise more workshops and seminars during the application period," Mr Koo said.
Schools, education bodies, teaching professionals will be invited between March 5 and April 30 to submit applications to the QEF for funding to undertake innovative projects to promote quality school education in Hong Kong. The first batch of grants are expected to be released by the end of June 1998.
"We are glad to note that the key players in the education sector have shown their support for the Quality Education Fund. We hope they will put forward innovative project ideas to benefit our students very soon," said Mr Koo.
End/Thursday, March 5, 1998