Legislators have drawn up a shopping list of education expectations for next week's policy address, including smaller classes, more international school places and more assistance for associate degree graduates.
The calls follow reports this week that Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's speech on Wednesday was likely to include a commitment to extend free education from nine years to 12 in 2009, in line with the implementation of the new senior secondary structure.
Democratic Party lawmaker and deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's education panel, Yeung Sum, said the policy address needed to tackle concerns about the future for associate degree graduates.
'By 2005, the government had already met the target of providing associate degrees or community college education to 60 per cent of secondary students, but the public is still unsure of the quality of education provided at this level,' Dr Yeung said.
He called for more financial resources and manpower to improve and monitor education in community colleges, not just more places.
Dr Yeung said it was unfair that associate degree and higher diploma students received fewer subsidies than other university students.