Subvention safe?

At the start of the month, Education Post reported the positive comments made about the ESF by Fanny Law as she left the EMB, and Heather Du Quesnay (chief executive of the ESF) described this as "something of a vote of confidence". I wasn't totally convinced that this meant very much.

However, it now seems that the current administration is not going to carry through with the threat to abolish the subvention that has been hanging over the ESF for some time.

Obviously we will have to wait for official confirmation of this. Maybe it will come when the new ESF Ordinance becomes law.

School Trips

From today's Education Post (Measures for trips tightened):

The English Schools Foundation has tightened its procedures governing school excursions after the death of a 17-year-old student on a field trip last year.

A coroner's court jury this week delivered a finding of accidental death in the case of King George V School student, Ivan Leung Ching-nam, who collapsed on a hiking trip in Sai Kung on September 21 last year. An autopsy report said the cause of death was heatstroke.

[..]

Under a new ESF policy, teachers leading a school trip are required to have completed first-aid training within the last three years, which was one of the jury's recommendations.

The document requires schools to complete a risk assessment of the activity, covering factors including the nature of the activity, weather conditions, students' medical conditions and physical capabilities. It instructs schools to follow weather warnings and sets different ratios of students to staff, depending on the activity and age of the children.

Under Education and Manpower Bureau guidelines, at least one staff member should have received first-aid training if the activity is exploratory, challenging or physically demanding.

My son is going on his first school camp later this month, and we have been sent a series of forms asking for information about allergies, medical conditions and medication, so I'm sure the ESF is taking this seriously.

Creative Secondary School

I can't find any ESF news this week, so this article from last week's Education Post (A marriage of creativity) about a new school Tseung Kwan O will have to do. The ESF connection is that Cheung Siu-ming was previously the Principal of Phoenix International School and prior to that he was deputy principal of West Island School, and the other point of interest is that the new school will be adopting the IB MYP & Diploma programmes.

Principal Cheung Siu-ming is trying to do something very creative with the new direct subsidy scheme school he is leading.

He is breaking ambitious ground at Creative Secondary School, Tseung Kwan O, by implementing the local curriculum and International Baccalaureate's Middle Years Programme (MYP) alongside each other for the first time.

When it comes to Form Five - or senior secondary two in the new academic structure - students' paths will divide, some taking the IB diploma, some the new Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.

However, the unusual set-up means that in the first year of the new three-year senior secondary structure, students will be completing the MYP alongside pursuing the first year of the local diploma.

Mr Cheung, who has been working for the English Schools Foundation for much of the past decade, as deputy principal of West Island School and then principal of Phoenix International School before moving to Creative, explained how the marriage would work. The overlap in subjects such as English, Chinese and maths would help.

However, to get their MYP certificate at the end of the first year of the new three-year senior secondary programme being introduced across Hong Kong from 2009, students would need to have studied humanities and science, which are not mandatory in the local diploma that requires them to pursue only two to three elective subjects.

A vote of confidence?

From today's Education Post (Big vote of confidence for the ESF):

The English Schools Foundation has welcomed comments from outgoing education chief Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun that hinted the government had shifted from its policy that the ESF subvention should be phased out.

In an interview, Mrs Law had said: "As the economy is getting better and better and we are not short of money we can discuss further how to take things forward. We have to sort out the issues of its governance first."Heather Du Quesnay, chief executive of the ESF, said: "We're pleased to have received something of a vote of confidence from Fanny Law as she leaves the EMB."

Alex Chiu Chi-suen, a member of Parents for ESF, said: "ESF has a unique role in Hong Kong education and I hope the new secretary, Mr Wong [Hung-chiu], will also hold a positive view on the role of ESF and the subvention issue."

The ESF ordinance amendment bill may be tabled in Legco before Christmas.

Comment: It doesn't surprise me to hear Fanny Law saying good things about the ESF, but what does Arthur Li think?