a. BSPP was first launched in 2005. The aim of BSPP is to promote better co-operation and closer partnership between the business sector and schools. It leads students out of the classroom to gain a wider perspective of the world so that they can get prepared for life in the society. Through this non-traditional learning platform provided by the business sector, students will be able to learn about different careers and understand the requirements of employers, enhance generic skills, develop appropriate work attitude and values which enable them to adapt to economic and social changes, hence ultimately achieve the goal of whole-person development.
b. To effectively assist students in planning for life and career development, besides providing them with different career exploration opportunities, guidance from teachers and support from parents are vital. Therefore, BSPP organises activities for students, teachers and parents. Student activity mainly focuses on career exploration, includes talks, workshops, workplace visits, mentoring programmes, job shadowing programmes, work experience programmes and tours to business entities in the Mainland, etc. Teacher activity includes workshops, professional development programmes and workplace visits. Parent activity is mainly introducing the latest developments in different trades.
c. Since December 2014, the EDB has launched the revamped the “Business-School Partnership Programme” website to provide schools and the business partners with more updated information on BSPP activities as well as an on-line application system to facilitate enrolment to the BSPP programmes. Schools are encouraged to join the BSPP activities in order to make use of the community resources.
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dss1. The EDB has been providing public sector ordinary schools with additional resources, teacher training and professional support to help them implement the Whole School Approach (WSA) to integrated education (IE). Through the alignment of inclusive policy, culture and practices, teachers are motivated to cater for students with special educational needs (SEN) and develop their potential.
2. For the implementation details of the WSA to IE, related resources and professional support available, please refer to the following:
EDBC008/2015 “Top-up Fund for Procurement of Special Furniture and Equipment or Carrying Out Minor Conversion Works for Students with Disabilities in Ordinary Schools”
EDBC006/2019 “Learning Support Grant”
EDBC007/2019 “Allocation of Learning Support Grant to Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools”
EDBC008/2019 “Special Educational Needs Coordinator”
EDBC009/2019 “Grant for Supporting Non-Chinese Speaking Students with Special Educational Needs”
EDBC013/2019 “Enhanced School-based Speech Therapy Service”
EDBC022/2019 “Schools for Social Development/Residential Homes”
EDBC023/2019 “Policy and Practice in Early Identification and Intervention for Students with Special Educational Needs”
EDBC010/2021 “Teachers’ Continuing Professional Development in Catering for Students with Special Educational Needs”
EDBCM104/2021 “School Partnership Scheme in Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 School Years”
EDBC004/2022 “Transfer of Information of Students with Special Eductional Needs”
EDBCM007/2022 “Enhanced Speech Therapy Grant”
EDBCM062/2022 “Love and Care in Schools Amid Class Resumption”
“Whole School Approach to Integrated Education” webpage
“Operation Guide on the Whole School Approach to Integrated Education”
“Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)” webpage
3. Regarding support for students with SEN having serious emotional and behavioural problems (including guideline on the use of physical restraint or seclusion), please refer to the hyperlinked guideline.
4. The EDB will, subject to the assessment and recommendation of specialists and the consent of parents, refer students with more severe or multiple disabilities to aided special schools for intensive support services. Some special schools with a boarding section funded by the EDB provide boarding service to cater for students’ long-term residential needs and hence facilitate their schooling during school days. Special schools with a boarding section can refer to the hyperlinked Guide to plan and manage the support services of their boarding section and constantly conduct self-evaluation to continuously improve the support services for boarders.
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tss1. The Education Bureau encourages schools to cater for gifted students via the Three-tier Implementation Model, and adopt a school-based approach (i.e. Level 1 - school-based whole class teaching and Level 2 - school-based pull-out programmes) to nurture and develop the potential of gifted students. A broad definition of giftedness using multiple criteria should be adopted in identifying students for gifted education programmes.
2. A range of curriculum resources including “Guidelines on School-based Gifted Development Programmes”, “Reference Manual for Implementing Gifted Education in School: Acceleration Programmes”, examples and resource packages of the “Gifted Education School Network” and pilot school-based pull-out programmes can be downloaded from the “Gifted Education” webpage. Printed copies of most of the resources were also sent to schools for reference.
3. The EDB organises various territory-wide competitions every year, covering different subjects, so as to provide channels for gifted students to further demonstrate their potential by learning from each other as well as to set examples for schools to organise similar activities at school-based level in order to benefit more students. Besides, web-based learning courses are also developed by the EDB to provide a more flexible learning mode for gifted students. For details, please refer to the “Gifted Education” webpage.
4. The EDB regularly organises diversified professional development programmes to familiarise relevant school personnel with various aspects in the developments of gifted education in Hong Kong. School networks are also developed to encourage exchanges among schools and teachers, promoting the sharing of experiences and resources in implementing gifted education.
5. Schools could apply for the Diversity Learning Grant provided by the EDB each school year to support the diversification of the Senior Secondary Curriculum to cater for the needs of students. Schools are encouraged to make use of the grant to offer school-based pull-out programmes or to support off-school gifted education programmes for selected students.
6. Furthermore, the EDB would also collaborate with related organisations/ bodies to promote gifted education in Hong Kong.
7. The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education (HKAGE), currently a subvented organisation, provides gifted students aged 10-18 with off-school gifted education programmes including conferences, mentoring, online courses and advanced learning programmes, etc. Schools could strengthen the support for the gifted students by nominating students of appropriate age to be student members of HKAGE through their “School Nomination” scheme while parents could also nominate their children through “Self Nomination” scheme each school year. For enquiries on the services of HKAGE or the above nomination schemes, please
contact the School and Student Services Team at 3940 0101 or by email (sss@hkage.org.hk).
8. Funded by the Gifted Education Fund, a variety of off-school advanced learning programmes for exceptionally gifted students are offered by different stakeholders such as post-secondary institutions and non-government organisations from 2020 onwards. Schools/ parents/ guardians could nominate students to participate in these new programmes to further develop their potential in different areas of talents. For details, please refer to the webpage of the Gifted Education Fund.
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aanndd rreettuurrnneeee cchhiillddrreenn Schools should take care of the adjustment problems and learning difficulties of newly-arrived children, namely, newly-arrived children from the Mainland, newly-arrived non-Chinese speaking children and returnee children. Heads of schools are requested to make use of the following support services to help these children:a. The Induction Programme
b. The School-based Support Scheme Grant c. The Full-time Initiation Programme
For details of these services, please browse the “Education and Support Services for Newly-arrived Children” webpage.
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kiinngg ssttuuddeennttss111. The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. Starting from the 2014/15 school year, the EDB has implemented a series of enhanced support measures, substantially increased the additional funding to schools, and provided schools with teaching resources, teacher training and professional support, etc. to further enhance the support for NCS students’
learning of Chinese and create an inclusive learning environment in schools. The policy intent is to encourage parents of NCS students to arrange for their children to study in schools with an immersed Chinese language environment as early as possible to facilitate their mastery of the Chinese language. The prevailing education system, including the school places allocation systems, provides NCS students with equal opportunities for admission to public sector schools as their Chinese-speaking peers.
2. Capitalising on the experience in supporting NCS students’ learning of the Chinese language since the 2006/07 school year, and taking into account views of
1 For the planning of educational support measures, students whose spoken language at home is not Chinese are broadly categorised as non-Chinese speaking students.
stakeholders, EDB has, starting from the 2014/15 school year, implemented the
“Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework”
(“Learning Framework”) in primary and secondary schools to help NCS students learn Chinese. To facilitate the implementation of the “Learning Framework”
and creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools, all ordinary schools1 admitting 10 or more NCS students are provided with an additional funding ranging from $0.8 million to $1.5 million per year depending on the number of NCS students admitted. These schools are required to use the “Chinese Language Assessment Tools for NCS students” (“Assessment Tools”) to assess the learning performance of NCS students each school year. They should also make reference to the expected learning outcomes at different learning levels as set out in the “Learning Framework” and adopt a “small-step” progressive learning approach to set appropriate learning targets and plan the support for all NCS students admitted. This includes adopting appropriate teaching strategies and learning and teaching materials, and arranging additional manpower to adopt diversified intensive learning and teaching modes (such as pull-out learning, split-class/group learning, increasing Chinese Language lesson time, learning Chinese across the curriculum, after-school consolidation, etc.) as appropriate according to the learning needs of NCS students, with a view to helping NCS students learn Chinese systematically. Besides, each special school admitting 6 or more NCS students is provided with an additional funding ranging from $0.65 million to $1.5 million depending on the curriculum offered and the number of NCS students admitted. As regards schools admitting a relatively small number of NCS students (i.e. 1 to 9 for ordinary schools and 1 to 5 for special schools), they might apply for an additional funding of $50,000 per year on a need basis to offer after-school Chinese language support programmes up to the 2019/20 school year. The EDB has, starting from the 2020/21 school year, further adjusted the additional funding models for schools admitting NCS students and stepped up the monitoring and support. All schools admitting a relatively small number of NCS students will be provided with a two-tiered additional funding ($0.15 million or
$0.3 million per year). Application for the funding is not required. The amount of the funding provided to schools admitting NCS students will be adjusted on a school year basis according to the year-on-year movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index or the annual rate of the Civil Service Pay Adjustment.
3. NCS students can obtain Chinese Language qualifications through various channels to prepare for further studies and career pursuits and articulation to multiple pathways. In this regard, schools should continue to make optimal use of the “Assessment Tools” and internal assessment to understand the learning progress of NCS students and adjust the teaching strategies as appropriate. As such, schools could help Secondary 4 NCS students enter for the mainstream Chinese Language examination in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education, or the Applied Learning Chinese (for NCS students) provided at senior secondary levels starting from the 2014/15 school year and/or attain internationally
1 Ordinary schools include public sector primary and secondary schools and Direct Subsidy Scheme primary and secondary schools offering the local curriculum.
recognised alternative Chinese Language qualifications, including those under the General Certificate of Education (GCE), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) having regard to their needs and aspirations.
4. Details of the afore-mentioned support are set out in:
EDBC008/2020 “New Funding Arrangements for Enhancing Support for Learning and Teaching Chinese for Non-Chinese Speaking Students”
EDBC008/2014 “Enhanced Chinese Learning and Teaching for Non-Chinese Speaking Students”
EDBC019/2012 “Education Support for Non-Chinese Speaking Students Expanded Examination Subsidy”
Training Calendar System - Schools should encourage and arrange for teachers (including teaching assistants) to participate in the relevant programmes to raise their cultural and religious sensitivity in taking care of NCS students. Besides, Chinese Language teachers are able to enhance their professional capability on teaching Chinese as a second language through participation of structured and diversified modes of professional development programmes.
Webpage on “School-based Support Services” - Schools may join the diversified modes of school-based support services that include on-site support and professional learning communities. The EDB issues a circular memorandum in March / April every year, inviting schools to apply for relevant school-based support services based on curriculum development / teacher professional development / student learning needs.
Webpage on “Education services for non-Chinese speaking students” for a holistic picture of the support measures.
5. Schools should communicate with parents of NCS students in a proactive manner by, if necessary, arranging interpretation and/or translation services for them through various means, such as employing assistants of different races or procuring interpretation and/or translation services by deploying the aforementioned additional funding, soliciting support from parents of different races, making use of the interpretation and/or translation services in languages of different races provided by CHEER funded by the Home Affairs Department, etc.
Schools can also remind parents of NCS students to make reference to the related information with a view to enhancing their understanding of the local education system. Printed versions of the essential information or publications on the relevant support services and admission for schools, in particular Primary 1 and Secondary 1 admission, are available in languages of different races, and distributed through Regional Education Offices, District Offices, Maternal and Child Health Centres and Support Services Centres for EMs funded by Home Affairs Department. Since the 2015/16 school year, the Committee on Home-School Co-operation has published the English printed version of the School Profiles for distribution to parents of NCS students studying at the K3 and Primary 6 levels via kindergartens and primary schools for their easy access to the
information in the School Profiles. To enhance the transparency of schools’
deployment of the additional funding to provide relevant support measures, and to provide parents with more comprehensive information on making school choices, starting from the 2018/19 school year, a separate column on “Education Support for NCS Students” has been added to the School Profiles for schools to provide information on relevant support for NCS students. All schools provided with the additional funding are required to specify their additional support measures for enhancing NCS students’ learning of Chinese and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in the schools under the column. The new column has been further enhanced starting from the 2019/20 school year to require schools to provide more information on the relevant support measures. The EDB encourages schools to keep disseminating relevant information through diversified channels, such as enriching the content of the Chinese and English versions of the School Profiles and school webpages, creating a prominent icon on the homepage of their school webpages directing to the English version of the School Profiles, or providing information of contact persons who are able to communicate in English/other languages so as to facilitate parents of NCS students in making enquiries and obtaining relevant information. In addition, starting from the 2021/22 school year, schools are required to provide a bilingual summary in both Chinese and English, elucidating how they have supported NCS students’ learning of Chinese and created an inclusive learning environment in the schools in the preceding school year. The summary should be uploaded to their school webpages for parents’ reference.
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all aassssiissttaannccee sscchheemmeess1. The Student Finance Office (SFO) of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency (WFSFAA) provides / administers the following financial assistance schemes for needy primary and secondary students:
a. the School Textbook Assistance Scheme;
b. the Student Travel Subsidy Scheme;
c. the Subsidy Scheme for Internet Access Charges; and d. the Examination Fee Remission Scheme.
2. The School Textbook Assistance Scheme provides assistance to needy Primary 1 to Secondary 6 students in government, aided, per caput grant schools and local schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme for covering the costs of essential textbooks and miscellaneous school-related expenses. The Scheme is means-tested.
3. The Student Travel Subsidy Scheme provides travel subsidy to needy students receiving formal primary or secondary education. The student should reside beyond 10-minute walking distance from school and has to travel to school by public transport. The Scheme is means-tested.
4. The Subsidy Scheme for Internet Access Charges provides subsidy to needy families whose children are full-time students receiving education at primary or
secondary level, or full-time students pursuing Diploma Yi Jin (known as Yi Jin Diploma before 2016) programmes or equivalent courses of the Vocational Training Council to reduce the burden in meeting the Internet access charges for e-learning at home for their children. The subsidy is granted on a household basis. The Scheme is means-tested.
5. For families which have been disbursed with financial assistance under the above schemes in preceding school year, the SFO will, according to their respective options, issue an Access Code for getting the pre-filled electronic household application form online and other relevant information or paper-based pre-printed household application form to them to facilitate their continual application in the new school year. For other students especially those newly admitted students (including NCS students who have not applied for the schemes before), schools should inform parents of the financial assistance schemes and distribute the application forms and related documents by drawing reference to the letter issued by the SFO around April/ May every year. Leaflet and sample form on household application for student financial assistance schemes printed in eight languages other than Chinese and English are available to assist parents of NCS students.
6. The Examination Fee Remission Scheme provides assistance to needy students (including NCS students) attending public examinations conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA). The Scheme also covers eligible NCS students entering for non-local Chinese Language examinations under GCSE, IGCSE and GCE through the examination body commissioned by EDB1. Please refer to the annual Circular on Applications for Examination Fee Remission issued by the HKEAA for details of application and eligibility criteria.
7. A number of scholarship, grant and loan schemes are available to students studying at primary and secondary levels. Some of the schemes are administered by the SFO and Home and Youth Affairs Bureau.
8. For details, please browse the “WFSFAA” website or call the 24-hour hotline at 2802 2345.
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asseess 1. Definition of child maltreatment
1 Eligible NCS students entering for these examinations at present are only required to pay a “subsidised examination fee” on par with that of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (Chinese Language). With the passage of the Appropriation Bill 2022, which includes paying the examination fees for school candidates entering for the 2023 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, by the Legislative Council at the meeting on 4 May 2022, the “subsidised examination fee” of eligible NCS students entering for the above-mentioned non-local Chinese Language examinations in the 2022/23 school year will be waived accordingly.