Poor students can also benefit from the DSS system
For all the talk about the rising number of schools joining the Direct Subsidy Scheme triggered in the summer by the elite St Stephen's Girls' College's plan to adopt it, neither supporters nor opponents of the move can claim majority support.
On face of it, college alumni and others who petitioned legislators against the plan seem to have won. Last month, the college shelved its application to join the scheme on the recommendation of a special task force set up to study the divisive issue.
Studying in a resource-rich community opens doors
However, its council has askedthe task force to come up with a series of measures for the college's sustainable development. A report from the task force is due by October 29.
Those eager to maintain the school's public status may breathe a sigh of relief. But the shelving of this plan does not mean that status quo will be maintained.
The school seeks to enhance its quality of education as a necessary move in rapidly changing times. That means designing more personalised teaching approaches and programmes that best suit the needs of students.
Educators say the limited resources available to a public school, and other bureaucratic constraints, make innovation difficult.
A commentary in the Kung Kao Pao, the Catholic Diocese's newspaper, was conciliatory, saying that going the Direct Subsidy Scheme route has nothing to do with a school's educational ideals.