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EDUCATION OVERVIEW
Administration and Finance:
From 1997, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. The Education and Manpower Bureau in Hong Kong is responsible for administering elementary, secondary and post-secondary programs.
Generally, public pre-elementary, elementary and secondary education is funded by the government. Although the government also provides funding at the tertiary level, students are required to pay tuition fees. The fees collected from students account for approximately 20% of the total budget for these institutions.
Size:
There are 860 elementary schools with approximately 470 000 pupils enrolled. At the secondary level, there are presently 433 grammar, 20 technical and 27 prevocational secondary institutions, with more than 450,000 students in total. Currently, here are 10 tertiary, degree-granting institutions in existence.
Structure:
Pre-elementary education is generally catered to children between the ages of 3 and 5 Attendance is optional and provided by both voluntary organizations and private intuitions.
Compulsory education is comprised of six years of elementary education followed by three years at the lower secondary level. Students can then choose to continue their studies to the upper secondary level, which is two years in length leading to the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE). This may be followed by two additional years of sixth form, concluding in the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE). The HKALE is a requirement for entrance to the tertiary level of education.
Private & Public Education:
Private schools charge fees at all levels, with the exception of those schools that are partially subsidized by the government. Nursery schools and kindergartens are privately owned, but they must register with the government and follow its regulations. Government funding is common and subsidized education is available at all levels.
Academic Year:
The academic year at both the elementary and secondary levels runs from September to July, divided into three terms. At the higher education level, the academic year runs from October to June, with some institutions following the trimester term, while others opting for the two-semester alternative.
Language of Instruction:
At the present time, there is a mixed medium of instruction, with both Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin) and English being used.
Teacher Training:
Teachers are classified as either graduate or non-graduate instructors. Non-graduate candidates that have completed the HKCEE must take a three-year course at one of the colleges of education, leading to the
Certificate award. Those candidates that have completed the HKALE can pursue the same Certificate program in two years. Teachers with this qualification usually teach at the elementary and lower secondary levels.
Graduate teachers, instructing at the upper secondary and form six levels are required to hold a
Bachelor of Education degree or alternatively complete a one-year postgraduate program finishing with either the
Postgraduate Certificate in Education or the Postgraduate Diploma in Education.
Revised: May 06, 2004
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Copyright © 2001 World Education Services.
All rights reserved.
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