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All aboard for greater autonomy

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Elaine Yauin Beijing

The launch of the direct subsidy scheme in 1991 shook up the local school sector, with the new mode of operation giving schools much greater flexibility and autonomy in policy decisions than traditional aided government schools.

According to information provided by the Education Bureau, there are now 81 DSS primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Schools in the scheme receive equivalent funding per student as the average aided and government school (aided schools are funded by class, regardless of the number of students).

However, unlike their peers, DSS schools have considerable leeway over how to spend that money, plus the added advantage of being able to charge fees.

Not only can a DSS school decide which medium of instruction to adopt, it is also given much flexibility to lay down its own policies regarding staff recruitment, curriculum arrangement, management and administration.

Free from the straightjacket of government control, they can set their own development goals. The free rein offered by the DSS option explains why an increasing number of traditional aided government schools have applied to join the scheme over recent years.

Ying Wa College was one of the four secondary schools to join the DSS club last year.

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