This document has a special meaning as it is my first Policy Programme as the first Secretary for Education and Manpower of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. It also marks the beginning of a new era which will witness the development of our education system to ensure that it meets Hong Kong's long-term needs.
This Policy Programme sets out what we are doing and will do to improve the quality of education, in particular basic education. We have promoted the use of information technology in schools, taken measures to improve language proficiency of our students and continued to improve the teaching and learning environment. In 1998-99, we will speed up the implementation of whole-day primary schooling, further promote information technology education, and take steps to enhance teacher education and training.
We also aim at constantly enhancing the competitiveness of our manpower resources. We will provide training to improve the skills of our workers, promote safety and health in the workplace, foster good labour relations and safeguard and promote the rights and benefits of our workforce. Our emphasis will be on promoting occupational safety and health, as well as on how best to meet Hong Kong's changing manpower needs.
I and my colleagues in the Education and Manpower Bureau, the Education Department, the Labour Department, the Secretariat of the University Grants Committee and the Student Financial Assistance Agency, with the support of the Hong Kong Examinations Authority, the Vocational Training Council, the Construction Industry Training Authority, the Clothing Industry Training Authority, the Employees Retraining Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Council and all relevant advisory boards and committees are determined to fulfil the commitments set out in this document.
I welcome your comments and suggestions on this document.
(Joseph W P Wong)
Secretary for Education and Manpower
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is committed to ensuring that it is open and fully accountable to the people of Hong Kong. Policies, aims and programmes must be clear to all so that the Government can be accountable for their delivery. With greater clarity of purpose and accessibility, the public can better assess our performance and help us improve our quality of service.
The Policy Programmes, which underpin the Policy Address delivered by the Chief Executive in October 1997, explain the objectives and ongoing work of each Policy Bureau and its supporting departments, as well as Department of Justice, Office of the Judiciary Administrator, Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office, and their proposed new commitments for the coming year. They are set out in three sections:
The Bureau's objective is to provide "Quality Education"" at all levels so that our young people can become responsible and independent-minded citizens of the HKSAR. We seek to equip them with the necessary knowledge, skills and values to fulfil their responsibilities to their families and the community, and to contribute to Hong Kong's economic development and international competitiveness.
We seek to achieve our goals by:
These programmes are part of the Government's wider effort to promote a fair and prosperous community providing equal opportunities for all. They also reflect the Government's determination to invest substantially in our young people to ensure the continued success of the HKSAR into the future.
To ensure that our education system meets the changing needs of our society, we plan to conduct a comprehensive review of our academic system. This will cover both basic and tertiary education in terms of their optimal duration of study and interface among the various stages, the length of compulsory education, and diversification in approach.
The Government's objectives are to ensure that Hong Kong has in place a well-trained and well-motivated workforce which can cope with the dynamic needs of the Hong Kong economy, and that we have harmonious labour relations conducive to social stability and economic prosperity. We seek to achieve these goals by:
The requirements of the relevant articles of the Basic Law, as listed at Annex, have been reflected in the policy objectives of the Bureau.
In line with Articles 136 and 137 of the Basic Law, the HKSAR will on its own continue to formulate policies to develop and improve education. We will ensure that educational institutions are run by qualified organisations and individuals; that educational institutions retain their autonomy and academic freedom; and that our students can make their own choice of educational institutions in or outside the HKSAR.
Articles 39, 152 and 153 are related to the application of International Labour Conventions (ILCs), international agreements and participation in international organisations. In line with our policy objective of ensuring that we maintain a level of labour standards which is broadly comparable to neighbouring countries with similar social and economic developments, Hong Kong aims at applying as many ILCs as local circumstances allow. To this end, the HKSAR will continue to review the application of ILCs in consultation with the Central People's Government with a view to determining the application of new ILCs and the improvement of previous declarations.
Hong Kong will continue to participate in the activities of the International Labour Organisation, such as conferences and fellowship programmes, as part of the delegation of the People's Republic of China or using the name of "Hong Kong, China" in consultation with the Central People's Government.
Article 147 stipulates that the HKSAR shall on its own formulate laws and policies relating to labour. We will continue to ensure that these laws and policies protect the rights and interests of our workers, as well as contribute to the economic development of Hong Kong.
The Education and Manpower Bureau is responsible for 11 major programme areas:
The aim of the Bureau is to promote the development of high quality kindergarten education in the private sector.
The Government promotes quality kindergarten education through the following programmes of support:
Since September 1997, we have required that at least 40% of teachers in each kindergarten have completed advanced training. Following a review of the Kindergarten Subsidy Scheme (KSS) in April 1996, we have introduced enhancement measures in the 1996-97 school year. These include raising the eligibility cut-off point to enable more kindergartens to benefit, and revising the rate of subsidy annually to take account of inflation as well as annual salary increments of teachers. With effect from the current school year, kindergartens charging fees not higher than $13,200 per pupil per annum are eligible to apply for subsidy under the KSS.
In the 1996-97 school year,
Training and qualifications of kindergarten teachers
Kindergarten Subsidy Scheme
The aims of the Bureau are:
Provision of school places
In the 1996-97 school year, we built seven primary schools which have all begun whole-day operation before or in September 1997.
Enhancing teaching quality and learning effectiveness
In the 1997-98 school year, we have provided a further 350 graduate posts for primary schools (including special schools), bringing the total to 1?15 (which equals 5.5% of primary school teaching posts). We will be setting benchmarks for language teachers and will complete a pilot exercise by the end of 1998.
We have further developed the Target Oriented Curriculum. In the 1997-98 school year, 608 government and aided primary schools adopt it at various levels, representing 82.1% of the total number of such schools.
Improving the teaching and learning environment
Another 37 uni-sessional/bi-sessional aided schools have switched to whole-day operation in the 1997-98 school year.
Reduction of class size has been extended to Primary?. So far, improvement works have been undertaken in 100 and 222 primary schools under the School Improvement Programme and the Noise Abatement Programme respectively.
We are revising the standard design for primary schools to provide additional facilities, including additional staff room, multi-media room and language room, to cater for new developments in the education arena and to provide a better teaching and learning environment.
Language Proficiency
The Chinese and English Extensive Reading Schemes are being extended to all primary levels over four years, and we will introduce Putonghua as a core subject in the primary curriculum starting from Primary 1 in the 1998-99 school year.
Information technology education
Starting from this school year, all government and aided primary schools will be provided with multi-media computer facilities. A Computer Awareness Programme and a Computer-Assisted Learning Programme, including teacher training, will be implemented.
Education services for newly arrived children from the Mainland
About 14 900 newly arrived children were enrolled in government and aided primary schools in the 1996-97 school year. In addition to some 1?20 classes of induction/English programmes, we have implemented a school-based support scheme from the 1997-98 school year to assist newly arrived children overcome academic difficulties. We have also started a pilot scheme on short-term preparatory course in five primary schools. In view of a possibly larger inflow of newly arrived children in the next few years, we have taken additional measures to ensure adequate provision of school places and support services for them.
School administration
So far, 109 government and aided primary schools have joined the School Management Initiative Scheme, 132 have joined the Performance Pledge Scheme, and another 90 have joined both Schemes.
In the 1996-97 school year,
In 1998, we will:
The aims of the Bureau are:
Provision of school places
In the 1996-97 school year, we have completed seven secondary schools, which have all begun operation before or in September 1997.
Enhancing teaching quality and learning effectiveness
Following wide consultation, we have issued firm guidance on the medium of instruction to public sector (government, aided, caput and Bought Place) secondary schools for implementation from the 1998-99 school year.
Improving the teaching and learning environment
We are on target to eliminate floating classes at Secondary? to 5 by the year 2000. We are revising the standard design for secondary schools to provide additional facilities, including additional classrooms, additional staff room, multi-media room and language room, to cater for new developments in the education arena, to provide a better teaching and learning environment, and to reduce floating classes at Secondary? and 7.
Improvement works have been undertaken in 98 and 215 secondary schools under the School Improvement Programme and the Noise Abatement Programme respectively.
Language Proficiency
The Chinese and English Extensive Reading Schemes are being extended to all secondary levels over four years. We will introduce a new Putonghua curriculum at Secondary? and Secondary? in the 1998-99 school year. We will continue to provide intensive English language programmes for sixth form students, in both Chinese- and English-medium schools, to better prepare them for tertiary studies. At the beginning of the 1997-98 school year, 66 secondary schools have employed 95 native-speaking English teachers.
Information technology education
With government assistance, 417 or 88% of secondary schools have become Internet subscribers. We have also made preparations to set up Information Technology Learning Centres in 46 prevocational and secondary technical schools, including training for 460 teachers.
Education services for newly arrived young people from the Mainland
About 1 430 newly arrived young people were enrolled in public sector secondary schools in the 1996-97 school year. Support services similar to those outlined under Primary Education are available to help them integrate into the local school system as soon as possible. In view of a possibly larger inflow of newly arrived young people in the next few years, we have taken additional measures to ensure adequate provision of school places and support services for them.
Support for schools
A Student Discipline Section has been set up to provide assistance to schools on matters relating to student discipline. The Central Curriculum Development Support Team has continued to give professional support to secondary schools admitting a large number of academically low achievers.
School administration
So far, 83 public sector secondary schools have joined the School Management Initiative Scheme, 49 have joined the Performance Pledge Scheme, and another 65 have joined both Schemes.
In the 1996-97 school year,
In 1998, we will:
The main policy objective of special education is to enable children with special educational needs to fully develop their individual potential. We encourage students with special educational needs to receive education in ordinary schools as far as possible, or in special schools where their particular needs make this necessary.
Special Schools
To cater for students with special educational needs, we give enhanced support to special schools, including the services of professional therapists, a higher ratio of social workers and the provision of boarding places. We will continue to seek further enhancement of such support.
Last year, we provided teacher assistants to certain categories of special schools, to ensure better care for disabled students, thus enabling teachers to concentrate on educational duties. We have also improved boarding care staff in special schools by upgrading the qualifications of wardens and assistant wardens so that there will be better collaboration between teaching and boarding staff of these schools to better meet students' learning needs.
Integration
To encourage ordinary schools to admit disabled students, support services and special equipment are provided to disabled students. The Education Department also provides teachers with professional advisory services to help them handle the emotional and learning problems of disabled students studying in ordinary schools.
As at September 1996, a total of 637 schools had admitted 1?83 disabled students with the help of supportive services, which included special classes, visiting teachers, educational psychologists and audiologists from the Education Department and outreach services from special schools.
Gifted Education
A three-year pilot project on developing school-based programmes and support programmes for gifted primary school students has just been completed and is being evaluated. To support the development of gifted education, the Fung Hon Chu Gifted Education Centre provides programmes and training to students, teachers and parents, so that gifted children are given appropriate support to enable them to develop their potential to the full.
In the 1996-97 school year,
Special Schools
In 1998,
Integration Pilot Project
Gifted Education
The aims of the Bureau are:
University Grants Committee-funded Institutions
The 1996-97 academic year was an eventful one in the history of the University Grants Committee (UGC) sector. In July 1996, the Hong Kong Institute of Education came under the aegis of the UGC. The UGC completed a comprehensive review of the development of higher education in Hong Kong, followed by the publication of a report in October 1996. The main recommendations, which were endorsed by the Administration, form the blueprint for the development of tertiary education into the next century. After an unprecedented expansion in the past decade, the tertiary sector has now entered a period of consolidation where the focus will be on improving quality and efficiency.
During the year, the UGC also completed the first round of Teaching and Learning Quality Process Reviews. These reviews enable institutions to focus their attention on teaching and learning as their primary mission and hence assist institutions in their efforts to improve quality. In addition, the second Research Assessment Exercise was concluded in early 1997. Finally, the UGC has just embarked on management reviews to ensure that institutions have in place appropriate internal resource allocation, planning and financial processes. Planning for the 1998-2001 triennium is also underway.
Financial Assistance to Tertiary Students
In the 1996-97 academic year, we provided a total of $968 million in grants and $945 million in normal and extended loans to 37?02 eligible full-time local students at specified institutions. This represented over 60% of the total student population. Successful applicants for the Local Student Finance Scheme (LSFS) on average received $27,985 in grants and/or $24,566 in normal loans. To enhance its efficiency and effectiveness, we have completed a review of the LSFS. We will introduce a non-means tested loan scheme open to all full-time tertiary students to complement the existing means-tested scheme. We expect this to benefit some 50?00 students. We have already introduced improvements including:
Open Education and Continuing and Professional Education
The former Open Learning Institute of Hong Kong was granted self-accrediting status in October 1996 and then university status in May 1997. The Institute was subsequently retitled "The Open University of Hong Kong". It has a student population of over 20?00, offering sub-degree, degree and postgraduate programmes in various disciplines through distance learning.
In June 1997, we brought into force new legislation to regulate the quality, operation and advertisement of non-local higher and professional courses. The legislation seeks to protect local students from sub-standard non-local courses, create a level playing field for course providers and protect Hong Kong's image as a place which respects quality and internationally-recognised qualifications.
In the 1996-97 academic year,
University Grants Committee-funded Institutions
Financial Assistance to Students
Open University
The Bureau's aim is to ensure that Hong Kong has a well-trained workforce equipped to meet the demands of a dynamic economy and to contribute to the overall economic competitiveness of Hong Kong. To achieve this aim, we seek to provide:
Vocational Training Council
This programme area deals with the promotion and administration of training schemes and the establishment and operation of training centres to provide pre-employment and upgrading training of manpower at the operative, craft, technician and technologist levels.
Technical education is provided in two technical colleges and seven technical institutes. They offer courses at higher diploma, higher certificate, diploma, certificate and craft certificate levels. The number of student places, and the type and content of the courses, are adjusted to meet the changing demands of the economy. In the 1997-98 academic year, a new department devoted to China Business Studies has been set up at one of the technical institutes. To meet the future manpower needs arising from the Government's expanded housing programme over the next decade, the VTC provides an additional 720 places at the technician level in the construction discipline with effect from the 1997-98 academic year. The VTC will adjust the training programmes of its 24 training centres as necessary to meet the changing needs of the economy.
In June 1997, we announced the way forward on the recommendations in the report on the strategic and organisational review of the VTC. There is general agreement that the VTC needs to be better able to respond to the changing needs of the economy, and that it must have a robust and flexible mechanism in place to enable it to achieve this mission. With this aim in mind,
The VTC is also undertaking a comprehensive resource review of the levels of work, uniqueness of function, quality of work and efficiency of each unit or section within the organisation. We believe that this review, once undertaken successfully, will help resource redeployment to meet the needs of a changing labour market.
Other follow-up action in respect of the strategic and organisational review is covered in the section "Into the 21st Century".
Employees Retraining
The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) was established in October 1992 to administer the Employees Retraining Scheme (ERS). The ERS aims at helping workers adjust to changes in the labour market. It is now providing 251 types of courses through its 59 training bodies at 134 training centres. Courses fall into three main categories ?job search skills, job specific skills and general skills. Since its establishment, the ERB has provided training for over 100 000 persons.
The recurrent income of the ERB comes from a levy imposed on employers employing imported workers under the importation of labour schemes at the rate of $400 per month for each imported worker. The Government provided a start-up fund of $300 million in 1992. We made a second injection of $300 million to ERB in May 1996 and a third injection of $500 million in February 1997 to enable the expansion of, and improvements to, the ERS in the coming few years.
To improve the effectiveness of the ERS in meeting the requirements of employers and the retraining needs of the local workforce, this Bureau completed a comprehensive review of the ERS in December last year and announced the results in June 1997. The main thrust of the proposals is that the ERS should primarily focus on providing retraining for the unemployed with no more than lower secondary education and aged 30 or above; it should provide retraining for the employed who need to receive basic skills training to sustain them in employment; and its ambit be extended to cover new immigrants. The ERB is now implementing the results of the review by phases.
Vocational Training Council
|
24 |
|
6 616 212 |
| Establishments to be inspected | 44 481 | |
| Inspections of establishments employing registered apprentices | 43 656 | |
| Inspections per inspector | 1 395 |
| full-time students | 5 141 | |
| part-time day students | 1 282 | |
| part-time evening students | 7 449 |
| full-time students | 10 158 | |
| mixed full-time students | 3 989 | |
| part-time day students | 11 345 | |
| part-time evening students | 23 601 |
| completion rate % | 73 | |
| drop out rate % | 27 |
Employees Retraining
In 1996-97,
Vocational Training Council
Employees Retraining
The Construction Industry Training Authority (CITA), through its three training centres and one management training and trade-testing centre, provides full-time and part-time courses for craftsmen, operatives and supervisors in the construction field. Apart from meeting the manpower training needs of the construction industry, the Authority also carries out trade testing, with the aim of upgrading the quality of various aspects of construction work, as well as carrying out certificate tests for operators of builders' lifts, construction plants and temporary suspended working platforms, with the aim of improving construction site safety.
The CITA has considerably expanded its training provision over the past few years. It provides almost 20 000 training places for the 1996-97 training year (ending August). These include 1 620 full-time training places for Secondary? graduates on its Basic Craft training courses, 420 places for Form? graduates on its Construction Supervision/Technician courses, and 2?49 places for the training or retraining of adults who wish to acquire construction knowledge and skills so that they can join the construction industry. The Authority is also providing a total of 6 300 places on safety training for in-service workers, and 9 247 places for part-time courses for in-service construction personnel who wish to upgrade their skills or knowledge. CITA has the resources to carry out 2 500 to 3 000 trade tests for construction workers each year. In the 1997-98 training year, training capacity would be further expanded to meet industry demands.
The Bureau's aims are:
We seek to achieve these aims through a wide range of free employment services as well as enforcement and promotional efforts. These employment services also help Hong Kong residents to exercise their freedom of choice of occupation as provided under Article 33 of the Basic Law.
The Labour Department provides:
The Department is also providing the following employment services specifically for the unemployed of all ages and those who have lost their jobs:
This comprises personalised in-depth interviews, counselling and job matching, and, where appropriate, arrangements for tailor-made retraining programme by the ERB. In the first half of 1997, 3?87 job-seekers were registered and 2?09 were placed in jobs.
On-the-spot briefings and registration for employment services are provided for workers affected by major retrenchments. For the first six months of 1997, the service reached out to 3?75 retrenched workers in 31 companies. Among the 326 retrenched workers who sought employment assistance from the Labour Department, 136 found new jobs.
To ensure that the employment opportunities of local workers will not be adversely affected by abuse of the labour importation schemes, we follow two cardinal policy principles:
We are now running two labour importation schemes-- the Supplementary Labour Scheme and the Special Labour Importation Scheme for the New Airport and Related Projects ?on the basis of the above principles. A series of measures are in place to protect the employment interests of local workers. They include a mandatory local recruitment period, and a prohibition on imported workers from changing employment. Both the Job Matching Centre of the Labour Department and the Special Placement Service for vacancies of the New Airport and Related Projects were set up primarily for the purpose of ensuring that employers who wish to import workers give priority to employment of local workers. We are now reviewing the Supplementary Labour Scheme.
We have continued to clamp down on illegal employment. During the first half of 1997, we made 1?87 arrests and 1?69 prosecutions.
As regards age discrimination in employment, the Government supports equal opportunities in employment and is combating the problem of age discrimination in employment through a sustained programme of public education, publicity and self-regulation.
In 1996-97, we achieved the following performance results:
We earmarked annual funding of $2 million for the sustained programme of education, publicity and self-regulation on age discrimination in employment.
Review of importation of labour
Labour Supply for Construction Industry
Labour Supply for Textiles and Clothing Industry
Computerisation of the LES
Employment Services for New Arrivals
The Bureau's aim is to foster and maintain Hong Kong's harmonious labour relations by:
In general, Hong Kong has had a good record of harmonious labour relations.
In the last three years, the average number of working days lost each year due to work stoppage per 1 000 wage earners and salaried employees remained at a low level of 0.5, which was amongst the lowest in the world. The system of voluntary negotiation between employers and employees, underpinned by effective conciliation and adjudication service to resolve labour disputes, has contributed to this industrial harmony.
In June 1997, we gave effect to the results of the review of the labour relations system which included the improvements to the conciliation procedure, introduction of a mediation procedure and extension of immunity to individual employers, employees, officials and members of trade unions from civil suits in respect of certain specified acts relating to trade disputes.
In June 1997, we expanded the jurisdiction of the Minor Employment Claims Adjudication Board (MECAB) to cover any claims involving no more than ten persons and up to a claim amount of $8,000 per person. The Board provides an effective adjudication channel for the hearing and determination of minor employment claims in a speedy, informal and inexpensive manner.
In 1996-97,
The Bureau aims to progressively improve employees' rights and benefits in a way which is commensurate with the pace of Hong Kong's economic and social developments and which strikes a reasonable balance between the interests of employers and employees.
In improving employees' rights and benefits, the Government adheres firmly to the system of tripartism or tripartite co-operation amongst employers, employees and the Government, mainly through the role of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB). The LAB, which comprises Government as well as an equal number of representatives of employees and employers, has long been the most important consultative forum on labour matters. All legislative proposals on labour law are, as a general practice, put forward by the Government for consultation with the LAB before they go before the legislature.
It was largely through the successful operation of this tripartite consultative mechanism that significant improvements to employees' welfare and benefits through legislative changes had been made during the last few decades.
Our aim is to protect the safety and health of employees at work, and to safeguard others who may be exposed to safety and health hazards arising from work-related activities.
The protection of employees' safety and health at work is provided in the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance and, since May 1997, the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance which extends the protection, for the first time, to employees in the non-industrial sectors. We will help employers and employees control their risk at work by enforcing these legislation and promoting safety management through advice, training and publicity. We will target our efforts, in particular, at more accident-prone industrial undertakings, including construction sites.
In 1996, Hong Kong's performance in respect of work-related accidents in industrial undertakings and our action to improve our performance were as follows:
| Fatal accidents | 66 | |
| Non-fatal accidents | 40 185 | |
| Accident rate per 1?00 employees | 53.43 | |
| Inspections/investigations | 78 368 | |
| Warnings | 18 263 | |
| Improvement and suspension notices | 690 | |
| Prosecutions | 2 808 |
We are firmly committed to providing quality education that develops in our young people an inquisitive mind, communication skills and the skills for mastering new information, so that they can face the challenges of the future with confidence and fortitude. In the 21st Century, our young people will be well-educated, proud of their Chinese heritage and global in outlook.
The challenge for us in the next century will be to substantially enhance the quality of our school education to facilitate an all-round development of our young people. We will strive to achieve this by developing an effective quality assurance mechanism that emphasises the accountability of school management; enhancing the professionalism of our teaching force; implementing a long-term information technology education strategy, and working towards the target of whole-day schooling for all primary pupils. In the longer run, we will examine the structure of primary and secondary education, addressing the age at which students should begin the different stages from kindergarten to tertiary education, the optimal length of various stages of education and maintain an effective interface between them, in order to ensure that the education system as a whole meets the changing needs of our community.
The industrious and enterprising workforce in Hong Kong has been the most indispensable asset in Hong Kong's economic success story through the last century. The 21st Century will see the exponential development of information technology, and rapid shifts in competitive forces in the global market. These call for increasingly new skills and expertise for our labour force to cope flexibly with the dynamic demands of the labour market and the economy both locally and internationally.
We will seek to ensure the continued provision of a well-trained, and motivated workforce equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. To this end, the challenge of the Bureau lies mainly in maintaining the right mix and balance amongst the various labour-related issues:
The occupational safety and health records of Hong Kong do not measure up to our status as a sophisticated and well-developed economy. Our challenge is to put in place a culture of occupational safety and health awareness amongst our employers and employees with a view to improving accident prevention and risk management in the workplace.
Steps will be taken to implement the agreed recommendations arising from the strategic and organisational review of the Vocational Training Council so that it will be better able to achieve its mission of providing a well-trained workforce that can meet the evolving needs of the economy as we move towards the 21st Century. Training facilities will be modernised, and training opportunities expanded. In particular, we shall concentrate on meeting the manpower needs of the construction industry. Apprenticeship training will be enhanced, and a wider range of skills upgrading courses will be offered to in-service workers in industry and commerce.
In the study "Manpower 2001 Revisited" we provided statistical projections of manpower supply and requirements by educational level in 1996 and 2001, with 1991 as the base year. The aim was to assess whether, under the existing and planned education provisions, the mix of manpower supply in terms of educational levels would be broadly in line with the future needs of the economy. We are now updating the report with input from the 1996 Population By-census and new projections of graduates by level of education prepared by the Education Department, the University Grants Committee, the Vocational Training Council and other education-related agencies. The updated report will provide statistical projections of manpower supply and requirements by educational level for 2001 and 2006, using 1996 as the base year.
On the regional economic co-operation front, the Education and Manpower Bureau participates in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Human Resource Development (HRD) Working Group. The HRD Working Group is guided by the overall framework of the HRD Action Programme endorsed by APEC Leaders and Ministers as part of the Osaka Action Agenda. The HRD Working Group focuses on eight medium term strategic priorities, which include:
Chapter III: Fundamental Rights and Duties of the Residents
Article 27
Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike.
Article 33
Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of choice of occupation.
Article 34
Hong Kong residents shall have freedom to engage in academic research, literary and artistic creation, and other cultural activities.
Article 36
Hong Kong residents shall have the right to social welfare in accordance with law. The welfare benefits and retirement security of the labour force shall be protected by law.
Article 39
The provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and international labour conventions as applied to Hong Kong shall remain in force and shall be implemented through the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents shall not be restricted unless as prescribed by law. Such restrictions shall not contravene the provisions of the preceding paragraph of this Article.
Chapter VI: Education, Science, Culture, Sports, Religion, Labour and Social Services
Article 136
On the basis of the previous educational system, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall, on its own, formulate policies on the development and improvement of education, including policies regarding the educational system and its administration, the language of instruction, the allocation of funds, the examination system, the system of academic awards and the recognition of educational qualifications.
Community organizations and individuals may, in accordance with law, run educational undertakings of various kinds in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Article 137
Educational institutions of all kinds may retain their autonomy and enjoy academic freedom. They may continue to recruit staff and use teaching materials from outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Schools run by religious organizations may continue to provide religious education, including courses in religion.
Students shall enjoy freedom of choice of educational institutions and freedom to pursue their education outside the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Article 144
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall maintain the policy previously practised in Hong Kong in respect of subventions for non-governmental organizations in fields such as education, medicine and health, culture, art, recreation, sports, social welfare and social work. Staff members previously serving in subvented organizations in Hong Kong may remain in their employment in accordance with the previous system.
Article 147
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall on its own formulate laws and policies relating to labour.
Note
In addition, all Bureaux/Departments as well as Department of Justice, Office of the Judiciary Administrator, Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Administration Wing of the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office have joint responsibility for the implementation of the following articles:
Articles 11 (first paragraph), 16, 56 (second paragraph), 62(1) and (2), 64, 142, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152 and 153.
Policy Programme