Summing Up

55. Madam President, reform of secondary and primary education, like other social reforms, is a complex undertaking with many interlocking components. Tremendous efforts will be required to see through these important and vital reforms. They are bound to evoke different responses from the community in the early stages of implementation. There is still room to improve the implementation of these reforms. My colleagues and I will listen closely to positive and negative public feedback and take appropriate follow-up action. Because of our joint efforts, we are already seeing the initial results of education reform. The Government is determined to work closely with different educational groups and front-line educators to build a partnership that will ensure the success of our reforms and improve the quality of education.

56. Despite the pressure of economic downturn on public finances, our resolve to invest in education is unshaken. Regardless of Hong Kong's economic situation, you can rest assured that in the next five to ten years spending on education will continue to increase year after year. Our tertiary, secondary and primary education will become better and better, and the trend for lifelong learning will become even stronger through Government encouragement and the active support and participation of the people. All these efforts in the education sector will no doubt enable us to meet the needs of our social and economic development in the 21st Century.