BEIJING has refused to make a firm commitment on education spending despite repeated appeals from legislators. In an amended copy of the education bill, delivered to the National People's Congress (NPC) yesterday, the Government insisted the state should 'gradually' increase its input. This has disappointed some Hong Kong deputies, who think Beijing should pledge a relatively high percentage of the gross national product (GNP) each year to education. It is understood the State Council has refrained from making a commitment in order to maintain flexibility. Local educationist and NPC deputy Ng Hong-man said the authorities had addressed most of their concerns. But he said the Hong Kong deputies demanded education spending be fixed at four per cent of the nation's GNP by the end of the century. Funding for education should be raised to 15 per cent of the total government expenditure in five years' time, he said. 'We do not ask them to fix it in a very strict way; you can write it flexibly . . . [the Government] should be able to show its sincerity by setting a target which is to be achieved within a certain period of time,' he said. Mr Ng is also worried parents might have to bear heavy financial burdens because the authorities at the provincial and township levels are allowed to lay surcharges. Under another change to the education bill, the Government now says students dissatisfied with teachers' decisions should launch complaints with the relevant departments instead of going directly to court - as was stipulated in the original law. Only cases which involve violation of students' human and property rights should be dealt with by the courts. The amended law holds headmasters responsible for accidents resulting from poor management, only if they knowingly neglected maintenance.
