Schools receiving the Jockey Club Life-wide Learning Fund will, from the 2005-06 school year, enjoy 100% flexibility to help students with real financial needs and provide them with more learning opportunities.

Formed in 2002 with $140 million from the Jockey Club Charities Trust, the fund supports needy Primary Four to Secondary Three students to participate in life-wide learning programmes.

Under the previous arrangement, apart from subsidising financially-needy students, schools had the discretionary flexibility to use 10% of the sum for "other needy students" to join life-wide learning activities.

After taking into account schools' views, the Jockey Club will raise the discretionary flexibility to 100%. Schools will have more discretionary flexibility to use their total allocation to subsidise other needy students. Student applications will be made easier, so more needy students can benefit.

Priority students

In view of students' different family backgrounds, schools can set their own rules to assess the eligibility of "financial needs". Generally, schools will give priority to students who are receiving the full grant of the Student Financial Assistance Agency or the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance, and those recommended by teachers.

Education & Manpower Bureau Chief Curriculum Development Officer Stephen Yip said the new measure will help needy students partake in life-wide learning activities more effectively. Seminars will be run in mid-September for participating schools to introduce the new measure and to encourage sharing of goods practices.

In the past three years, more than 1,100 schools accepted the fund each year. It is estimated 100,000 eligible students have been receiving assistance through the scheme every year.