For discussion FCR(97-98)47
on 31 October 1997
ITEM FOR FINANCE COMMITTEE
HEAD 40 - EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Subhead 700 General other non-recurrent
Implementation of a new technical curriculum in prevocational and secondary technical schools
Members are invited to approve the creation of a new commitment of $162.7 million for introducing a new technical curriculum in prevocational and secondary technical schools from the 2000/01 school year.
PROBLEM
We need to introduce a new technical curriculum with a wide range of new and updated business and technological subjects in prevocational and secondary technical schools to prepare students to meet the changing needs of the community. However, the teaching facilities and equipment of these schools and the existing teaching materials cannot support the teaching of these new subjects.
PROPOSAL
2. To implement a new technical curriculum in all the 27 prevocational and 19 secondary technical schools with effect from the 2000/01 school year, the Director of Education (D of E) proposes the creation of a non-recurrent commitment of $162.7 million for upgrading the existing teaching facilities and equipment in the schools and producing teaching and learning materials in support of the new and updated business and technological subjects.
JUSTIFICATION
3. In the wake of the economic restructuring of Hong Kong into a service economy, there has been an increasing concern that many of the practical/technical subjects in the prevocational and secondary technical schools have failed to keep up with the pace of economic development and hence no longer suit the needs of students and the community. Following a review, we will revamp and enrich the existing technical curriculum by putting more emphasis on business and technological subjects as well as languages. Rather than job-specific skills, the new curriculum will focus on fundamental and transferable skills, such as skills in communication, analysis and research, information management, design and production, personal management, interpersonal relationship and problem-solving. It will involve a wider use of modern technology to prepare the students for a changing work environment, and for higher studies in business and technological fields if they so wish.
4. More specifically, we will introduce a number of new and updated business and technological subjects. These include, at junior secondary level, the three Fundamentals (Business Fundamentals, Design Fundamentals and Technology Fundamentals) to equip the students with fundamental and transferable skills, concepts and knowledge, Design & Technology (Alternative Syllabus)1 and eight Application subjects2. At senior secondary level, the new subjects to be introduced are Graphical Communication, Technology Studies, Information Technology and Design & Technology (Alternative Syllabus).
5. Some of the existing special rooms and workshops in prevocational and secondary technical schools will need to be converted or upgraded to support the teaching of the new subjects. For instance, special rooms for subjects such as woodwork, metalwork, engine studies and fabrication studies will be converted to computer laboratories, Art and Design rooms, Commerce rooms and Design and Technology rooms. Existing teaching furniture and equipment will also be upgraded to ensure proper teaching and learning of the new subjects.
6. We will commission outside bodies (such as tertiary institutions) to produce textbooks and teaching materials for the new subjects. Education Department (ED) will also produce supplementary curriculum materials for use by schools as additional support.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
7. D of E estimates that the proposal will require a total non-recurrent cost of $162.7 million over three years, broken down as follows -
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | Total
|
|---|
| $ million
|
|---|
| (a) Conversions of special rooms/workshops | 14.25 | 28.50 | 14.25 | 57.00
|
| (b) Upgrading of furniture/equipment in special rooms/ workshops | 21.08 | 42.14 | 21.08 | 84.30
|
| (c) Production of teaching and learning materials for new and updated business and technological subjects | 10.00 | 11.40 | 0 | 21.40
|
| Total | 45.33 | 82.04 | 35.33 | 162.70
|
8. As regards paragraph 7(a), the estimated expenditure of $57 million is for the conversion and upgrading of 233 special rooms and workshops, including the provision of computer laboratories and upgrading of the Design & Technology rooms.
9. As regards paragraph 7(b), the estimated expenditure of $84.3 million is for the upgrading of furniture and equipment in 273 special rooms and workshops.
10. As regards paragraph 7(c), the estimated expenditure of $21.4 million is for producing 100 sets of teaching and learning materials, including curriculum guides, worksheets, exercises, students?notes, and teaching guidelines to support the introduction of the new and updated business and technological subjects.
11. Details of the non-recurrent cost of the proposal are at Enclosures 1 and 2.
12. The proposal will give rise to recurrent expenditure of $2 million per annum for maintenance of equipment and replenishment of consumables.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
13. There are three streams of secondary schools by curriculum type in Hong Kong - grammar, prevocational and secondary technical schools. In addition to the core subjects such as languages, humanities and mathematics, the prevocational and secondary technical schools offer more practical/technical subjects. The prevocational schools have a higher proportion of practical/technical subjects than secondary technical schools. The differences in the proportion of cultural, practical and technical content in the curriculum among the three types of schools are as follows -
| Percentage of Cultural, Practical and Technical Contentin Curriculum
|
|---|
| School Type | Secondary 1 to 3 | Secondary 4 and 5
|
|---|
| Secondary grammar | 15 to 20% | Not specified
|
| Secondary technical | 25 to 30% | Not specified
|
| Prevocational | 40 to 50% | 30% of the curriculum should be on technological education
|
14. In 1996, D of E set up a working group to conduct a comprehensive review of prevocational and secondary technical education. The working group reported in March 1997. It recommends that there is a need to continue to provide a technical curriculum in schools for students with such aptitude and abilities. However, the existing technical curriculum should be updated and enriched to suit the students' needs and community's requirement. These recommendations receive wide support from all quarters of the community.
15. We will separately provide training for teachers to ensure that there is an adequate supply of qualified teachers to teach the new and updated business and technological subjects. We will encourage tertiary institutions and other post-secondary colleges to introduce elective subjects relevant to the new curriculum in their initial teacher training programmes, and to commission tertiary institutions to run teacher retraining courses to update the knowledge and skills of serving teachers. ED will conduct seminars and workshops for teachers to promote the latest teaching methodologies and classroom applications. It is also discussing with relevant parties other retraining opportunities such as regular short attachments to an industrial or business organisation or to a relevant Vocational Training Council training centre to keep the teachers abreast of the latest technological developments.
Education and Manpower Bureau
October 1997
1 -- For secondary technical schools only.
2 -- Fashion Design, Graphical Communication, Catering Services, Desktop Publishing, Automobile Technology, Electronics & Electricity, Interior Decoration and Retail Merchandising.
Enclosure 1 to FCR(97-98)47
Estimated expenditure
for enhancing the existing facilities and equipment to
support the new technical curriculum
| Estimated expenditure
$ million
|
|---|
| Type | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | Total
|
|---|
| Conversions of 233 Special Rooms/ Workshops
|
 Major conversions for the provision of 27 computer laboratories, two Art and Design rooms and four Commerce rooms in prevocational schools, and 19 Design and Technology (Alternative Syllabus) rooms in secondary technical schools (at $0.4 million each). These rooms are to be converted from the special rooms/ workshops for subjects such as woodwork, metalwork, engine studies and fabrication studies. The conversion work includes dismantling existing obsolete mounted equipment, installing power sockets, fixed benches and storing cupboards, rewiring, partitioning, air-conditioning, etc.
| 5.20 | 10.40 | 5.20 | 20.80
|
Minor conversions of 162 special rooms/workshops in the prevocational schools for the three Fundamentals and three Application subjects in each school; and 19 special rooms/workshops in the secondary technical schools for the updated Electronics and Electricity/Graphical Communication at Secondary 4 and 5 (at $0.2 million each). The conversion work includes rewiring, addition of fixed benches, installation of power sockets, etc. | 9.05 | 18.10 | 9.05 | 36.20
|
| Total | 14.25 | 28.50 | 14.25 | 57.00
|
| Estimated expenditure
$ million
|
|---|
| Type | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | Total
|
|---|
| Upgrading of Furniture/Equipment in 273 Special Rooms/Workshops
To upgrade the furniture/equipment in -
|
100 special rooms/workshops at $240,000 each(a)
| 6.00 | 12.00 | 6.00 | 24.00
|
73 special rooms/workshops at $408,000 each(b)
| 7.45 | 14.90 | 7.45 | 29.8
|
100 special rooms/workshops at $305,000 each(c)| 7.63 | 15.24 | 7.63 | 30.5
| | Total | 21.08 | 42.14 | 21.08 | 84.30
| |
(a) -- For Business Fundamentals, Technology Fundamentals and Design Fundamentals for Secondary 1 to 3.
(b) -- For Application subjects : Fashion Design, Graphical Communication, Catering Services, Desktop Publishing, Automobile Technology, Electronics and Electricity, Interior Decoration, Retail Merchandising, and Design and Technology (Alternative Syllabus) for Secondary 1 to 3.
(c) -- For Information Technology, Graphical Communication, Technological Studies and Design and Technology (Alternative Syllabus) for secondary 4 and 5.
Enclosure 2 to FCR(97-98)47
Estimated expenditure
for producing teaching and learning materials to support
the new technical curriculum
Number of
subjects and level | Estimated cost of each set of
teaching/learning materials
to cover the syllabus of
one subject at the level (The cost
covers writing-up, printing,
cover design, binding, etc.) | Estimated cost for producing 100 sets(d) of teaching/learning materials for all the subjects at the level
|
|---|
| For 12 new and updated business and technological subjects(e) at Secondary 1 to 3 level | $13,182.00 | $13,182 x 100 x 12=$15,818,400
|
| For four new and updated business and technological subjects(f) at Secondary 4 and 5 level | $13,942.50 | $13,942.50 x 100 x 4=$5,577,000
|
| Total | $21,395,400
|
| Say | $21.4 million
|
(d) -- Two sets for each of the 27 previocational and 19 secondary technical schools and eight sets as reserve.
(e) -- Automobile Technology, Business Fundamentals, Catering Services, Design and Technology (Alternative Syllabus), Design Fundamentals, Desktop Publishing,Electronics and Electricity, Graphical Communication, Interior Decoration, Retail Merchandising, Fashion Desing and Technology Fundamentals
(f) -- Design and Technology (Alternative Syllabus), Graphical Communication, Information Technology and Technological Studies
Last Updated on 3 November 1997
