New arrangements: Secretary for Education & Manpower Professor Arthur Li says revised teaching medium arrangements for secondary schools will be implemented from September 2010.

Revised teaching medium arrangements for secondary schools will be implemented from September 2010. At least 85% of Secondary One students must be able to learn through English at schools that adopt the language as its teaching medium.

Secretary for Education & Manpower Professor Arthur Li said today the Government has accepted the Education Commission's Report on Review of Medium of Instruction for Secondary Schools & Secondary School Places Allocation.

The report's recommendations have maintained a good balance between educational considerations and society's practical needs, he said.

The Government will seek the Legislative Council's approval for a $1.1 billion injection into the Language Fund to offer more resources from the next school year to strengthen students' biliteracy and trilingualism.

Major recommendations

The commission recommends that schools adopting mother-tongue teaching should be in the mainstream.

If individual schools wish to adopt English as the teaching medium they must fulfill three prescribed criteria -student ability, teacher capability and support measures. They will also be subject to a quality-assurance review every six years.

At least 85% of Secondary One students must be able to learn through English at schools that adopt English as the teaching medium.

Non-language teachers teaching through English should at least be "able to communicate intelligibly and their use of English should have no adverse impact on students' acquisition of the English language".

The specific requirement is a Grade C or above in English Language (Syllabus B) in the Certificate of Education Examination or other recognised qualifications, including Band 6 or above in the International English Language Testing System (academic domain).

Streaming arrangement maintained

For support measures, schools must purposefully and strategically put in place well-designed bridging and support programmes for students.

The between-school streaming arrangement will be maintained at junior secondary levels to provide schools with a stable environment so they can better realise their education vision.

The current flexibility on teaching medium arrangements at senior secondary levels should be maintained. Schools can choose to adopt English as the teaching medium for certain subjects in some classes.

In making this choice, they must put in place well-designed bridging and support programmes to help students adapt to the changes.

Measures to enhance English proficiency

The English proficiency of students learning in their mother tongue will be enhanced by:

* schools adopting Chinese as the teaching medium may allocate, on top of English lessons, not more than 15%, 20% and 25% of the total lesson time at S1, S2 and S3 respectively in a progressive manner for extended learning activities conducted in English;

* the Government will continue to provide schools with the existing additional resources and enhance flexibility in deploying resources by giving schools the option of a cash grant in lieu of part or all of the additional teaching posts; and,

* the Government will strengthen efforts to enhance students' English proficiency learning through the mother tongue by investing more in resources.

The Government will provide each school adopting Chinese as the teaching medium with no more than $500,000 a year within a specified timeframe, such as six years.

Schools adopting English as the teaching medium can also apply for grants to strengthen their English immersion environment. It is intended that each school adopting English as the teaching medium will get a grant of no more than $500,000.

School places allocation modified

The Government will revise the Secondary School Places Allocation mechanism. The discretionary places quota will rise from 20% to 30%, and students can apply for places in two secondary schools, not just one.

Ten percent of the central allocation places of every secondary school will be assigned for allocation unrestricted by school nets.

The revised allocation mechanism will apply to students proceeding to S1 in September 2007.

Professor Li said the Government also intends to allocate $200 million to help interested schools to try out the use of Putonghua in teaching the Chinese language.

For details of the commission's report and the revised arrangements, click here.