Quality Education Fund
Chinese: 優質教育基金
Fund overview
FormedJanuary 2, 1998 (1998-01-02)
JurisdictionGovernment of Hong Kong
Headquarters403/F, Cityplaza Phase 3, 14 Tai Koo Wan Rd, Quarry Bay
Websiteqef.org.hk

The Quality Education Fund (Chinese: 優質教育基金; 2 January 1998 – ) is a fund in Hong Kong set up for promoting education reform. It was suggested by Tung Chee-hwa, former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, in his first policy address in October 1997. It is used for funding various quality education programmes in Hong Kong.[1]

After the fund was set up, it obtained five billion HKD from the Government of Hong Kong to support its long-term operation.[2] Initially, the full amount of requested funding will be allocated to the applicants, but now the fund is a matching fund.[3]

Statistics

In the first eight rounds of allocation, 15,089 applications were received. 5,802 applications were successful, with a total of thirty-one billion HKD allocated. Over 90% of primary, secondary, and special schools had applied.[4]

Criticism

On 15 October 2001, Audit Commission published a report named "Management of the Quality Education Fund". It provided some criticisms and suggestions.[5]

Initially, there were no limits on the amount of applications from an applicant. Some schools applied many times to implement many plans so it increased the workload on teachers.[6] Although applying is voluntary, some people saw "successful applications" as an indicator of performance of schools, causing many schools to apply to catch up. During an interview, Fanny Law, former permanent secretary of Education and Manpower Bureau, said, "Some schools seem to stipulate that every teacher needs to write some suggestion, creating intangible pressure in the process."[7] There were also criticisms that the fund is effectively involuntary.[8]

The education industry has also complained that the procedures were complicated and the requirements were too high.[9] On 25 May 2018, The chairperson of the fund, Xu Lian'an, said that the fund did not provide a form for applications and schools had to write their own plan outline, so the fund would simplify procedures by designing an application form for schools to fill in. Successful applications are uploaded to the fund's website (Cyber Resource Centre) for others to reference.[10] He also said that after simplifying procedures, time it takes to process applications involving amounts over 600 thousand HKD can be shortened from over six months to three months only.[11]

Significant items

References

  1. ↑ Tung, Chee-hwa (October 1997). "共創香港新紀元" [Building Hong Kong For A New Era]. Policy Address (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). p. 26. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021. 81. We will allocate $5 billion to establish a Quality Education Development Fund. This will be used to encourage innovation, competition and self-motivated reform in primary and secondary schools. It will be a more flexible and efficient alternative funding source than the normal Government mechanism.
  2. ↑ "Five billion dollars granted for Quality Education Fund" (Press release). Quality Education Fund. 12 December 1997. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "QEF accords priority to information technology and education research in its new call". Quality Education Fund. 1 November 2004. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  4. ↑ 文, 慧玲 (25 December 2005). "申請優質教育基金 — 是難？非難？" [Applying for the Quality Education Fund - Is it Hard or Not?]. Education Bureau (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  5. ↑ "優質教育基金的管理" [Management of the Quality Education Fund] (PDF). Audit Commission (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 15 October 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "戴 希 立: 優 質 教 育 基 金 結 餘 有 50 億 寄給朋友 列" [Dai Xili: The balance of the high-quality education fund has 5 billion to send to friends]. RTHK (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 8 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "教統局局長出席電台節目談話內容" [Transcription of Permanent Secretary of Education and Manpower attending a Radio Programme]. Hong Kong Government Information Centre (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 12 February 2001. Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  8. ↑ 梁, 美芬 (25 January 2006). "教改的核心問題" [The Core Problem of Education Reform]. Wen Wei Po (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  9. ↑ 黃, 偉倫 (25 May 2018). "優質教育基金推新撥款計劃　中、小學可獲約200萬元撥款" [The Quality Education Fund Rollouts New Allocation Plan, Both Secondary and Primary Schools can Apply for About 2 Million HKD in Funding]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021. 過往申請基金撥款時，有教育界批評指，申請手續繁複，而且門檻高。 [The education industry complain that previously when applying for the fund, the procedures are complicated and the requirements are high.]
  10. ↑ 黃, 偉倫 (25 May 2018). "優質教育基金推新撥款計劃　中、小學可獲約200萬元撥款" [The Quality Education Fund Rollouts New Allocation Plan, Both Secondary and Primary Schools can Apply for About 2 Million HKD in Funding]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021. ⋯過往申請時，基金並無提供格式，校方需自行制定計劃書⋯是次計劃簡化了申請程序，設計了申請表格予學校填寫，又上載成功申請的範本到基金網站。 [... previous applications, the fund did not provide a form so schools need to design the programme outline themselves... this round of application simplifies the application procedures and provides a form designed by the fund for schools to fill in. Successful applications are uploaded to the fund's website.]
  11. ↑ 黃, 偉倫 (25 May 2018). "優質教育基金推新撥款計劃　中、小學可獲約200萬元撥款" [The Quality Education Fund Rollouts New Allocation Plan, Both Secondary and Primary Schools can Apply for About 2 Million HKD in Funding]. HK01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021. ⋯簡化程序後，可以更快批出資助，過往審批60萬元以上的申請時，需時6個月以上，但在新計劃下⋯相信可以3個月內獲得資助。 [... after simplifying procedures, they can approve funds more quickly. Previously when approving applications involving amounts over 600 thousand HKD, six months are needed, but in the new plan... funding can be received in three months.]
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