Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs

117.     The Education Bureau (EDB) will extend the School-based Educational Psychology Service, giving secondary and primary schools greater support to help students with dyslexia and other special educational needs.  The service, now covering 55% of schools, will be extended progressively to cover all public sector secondary and primary schools by the 2016-17 school year.

Research Funding for the Higher Education Sector

118.     In the face of intense global competition, increased investment in research and development is crucial to enhancing our competitiveness.  The Government set up an $18 billion Research Endowment Fund in 2009 as a long-term commitment to promoting academic research in tertiary institutions.  With the support of this Fund, we have introduced the Theme-based Research Scheme to finance research projects of strategic importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong.

119.     In recent years, Hong Kong's research activities in a number of fields have attained international recognition.  Our universities are now among the top in the region and the world.  I propose to inject $5 billion into the Fund.  Of that, $3 billion will fund self-financing tertiary institutions on a competitive basis to enhance academic and research development.  The investment income of the remaining $2 billion will replace the recurrent provision of $100 million to the Research Grants Council to provide stable research funding for UGC-funded institutions.

Contents | Next