Education

                         Education in Hong Kong is largely modelled after that of the United Kingdom, particularly the English system. Children are required to attend school from the age of six until completion of secondary education.

                        Education for children in Hong Kong is from three to six years old. Local non-profit-making kindergartens joining the kindergarten education scheme are provided with

direct government subsidy Public sector schools form the majority in the 6-year primary

and 6-year secondary basic education. These consist of government schools operated directly by the Government and aided schools that are generally run by religious or charitable organisations, fully subvented by the Government and managed by incorporated management committees or school management committees. In addition, there are Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) schools, which can charge school fees and receive government subvention based on enrolment, and self-financed private schools providing alternatives to parents.

 Primary and Secondary Education:

                        The Government provides 12 years’ free primary and secondary education to all children through public sector schools. The Government provides full subvention for full-time courses run by the Vocational Training Council for Secondary 3 leavers to offer an alternative free avenue for them outside mainstream

education. In September 2018, 301 891 children were enrolled in 456 public sector primary schools; 255 425 students were enrolled in 392 public sector secondary schools. Generally at age 18, at the end of secondary schooling, all students take a public examination and awarded the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education on successful completion. Comprehensive schools fall under three categories: public schools, which are fully government-run; subsidized schools, including government aid-and-grant schools; and private schools, often those run by religious organizations and that base admissions on academic merit. These schools are subject to the curriculum guidelines as provided by the Education Bureau. Private schools subsidized under the Direct Subsidy Scheme and international schools fall outside of this system and may elect to use differing curricula and teach based on other languages. The government maintains a policy of “mother tongue instruction”; schools use Cantonese as the medium of instruction, with written education in both Chinese and English. Secondary schools emphasize “bi-literacy and tri-lingualism”, which has encouraged the proliferation of spoken Mandarin language education

 Education Services for Non-Chinese Speaking (NCS) Children:

                       The Government ensures equal opportunities for school admission for all eligible children (including non- Chinese speaking (NCS) children) in public sector schools, regardless of their races. The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the early integration of NCS students (notably ethnic minority students) into the community, including facilitating their adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. EDB provides various education services for NCS students and supports the work of school administrators, teachers and parents.

 Post-secondary Education:

Hong Kong provides quality,diversified and flexible pathways with multiple entry and exit points for students to pursue post-secondary education. There are 21 local degree-awarding post-secondary education institutions in Hong Kong, 9 of which are funded by the public and the other 12 are self-financing post-secondary institutions.

                       Vocational and Professional Education and Training: The Vocational Training Council (VTC) is a statutory body established to provide a comprehensive system of vocational and professional education and training (VPET) for school leavers and adult learners. It provides both full-time and part-time places. Courses offered through the VTC’s member institutions are available from post-secondary 3 up to degree level, covering applied science, design, engineering, hotel, service and tourism, childcare, elderly and community services, business administration, information technology and other study areas. The Government introduces a series of measures to promote VPET. These measures, implemented through the VTC, include the Pilot Training and Support Scheme, as well as the Pilot Subsidy Scheme for Students of Professional Part-time Programmes, which provides tuition fee subsidy for students admitted to designated professional Part-time Programmes in the disciplines of construction, engineering and technology.

 Universities

 Hong Kong has eleven universities within its territory, which are ;

               -The University of Hong Kong was founded as the city’s first institute of higher education during the early colonial period in 1911.

                -The Chinese University of Hong Kong was established in 1963 to fill the need for a university that taught using Chinese as its primary language of instruction.

                – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

                – City University of Hong Kong.

                – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University,

                – Hong Kong Baptist University.

                – Lingnan University.

                – Education University of Hong Kong.

                – Open University of Hong Kong.

                – Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

                – The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong.

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