In recent years, the declining school-age student population, teacher redundancies and school closures have deterred many young people from considering teaching as a prospective career.

 
Changes in funding policies for higher education and the decline in the school-age student population pose unprecedented challenges for the Institute in the years to come. Development is also affected by the external environment where the attractiveness of teaching as a career is being challenged. These factors are having far-reaching implications in the successful implementation of education reforms.

Operating in a Stringent Resource Environment

In the next three years, the Institute's funding from the University Grants Committee (UGC) will fall from $632 million in 2004-05 to $413 million in 2007-08, representing a budget cut of 33%. This reduction in funding is directly linked to the cut in student numbers approved by the UGC. As a result of the 15% reduction in funded student places in the 2005-08 triennium and changes in the mix of academic disciplines for students, the Institute has been   compelled  to    reduce   its   academic  staff   strength.   A
Voluntary Departure Scheme, followed by a Compulsory Redundancy Scheme, was therefore introduced in 2004-05, with the entire exercise being completed by the end of the academic year. This was due in large measure to the cooperation and professionalism demonstrated by affected staff members. The Institute has also been very careful in its selection of new staff, making sure that they will have the necessary expertise to ensure HKIEd's long-term development, in line with its self-accrediting status.
HKIEd students and staff members rally against the proposed 33% budget cuts at the Tai Po Campus.
Institute students protest against the massive funding cuts outside the Legislative Council Building. (picture from Ming Pao)
As part of the HKIEd’s measures to reduce its dependency on the UGC as its single source of funding, the Institute successfully doubled its income from other sources during the year. The Variation for the Improvement of Teaching And Learning(VITAL) project and the Assessment Project, which secured close to $63,000,000 from the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) for their respective three-year projects, are just two examples of successful funding from non-UGC sources. The Institute has also developed self-funded programmes to meet the needs of the education sector. Examples include the Postgraduate Diploma Programme in Chinese and English Studies and the Master of Education, launched in 2004-05 and 2005-06 respectively.

Training Professional Teachers
Who Will Implement Education Reforms

Aiming to ensure that Hong Kong becomes a knowledge-based society, the "3-3-4" education reforms are being implemented to develop Hong Kong’s young people into critical thinkers and independent problem-solvers with a broad knowledge base. Liberal Studies is therefore being introduced as a core subject at secondary school levels. The key to the success of these education reforms however will hinge on whether Hong Kong has the dedicated and professional teaching force to implement it.

Equipping Pre-service Teachers

Under the "3-3-4" education reforms, secondary students who previously would have continued to complete Form 7 will spend a year less at school. At the same time, tertiary students will spend an additional year in university. For HKIEd, this means that the Institute will need to strengthen both the general foundations as well as the general knowledge of new entrants, making sure that students, upon graduation, will be knowledgeable, versatile, critical and creative teachers, who are more than well-prepared to confidently and successfully implement the education reforms.