Education lawmaker Ip Kin-Yuen wants changes in the education policy
Learning is at the core of the city's future, and lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen wants Leung to take action
Ip Kin-yuen wants more money for education.Legislative Councillor Ip Kin-yuen requested changes to the education policy yesterday, with the chief executive due to deliver his policy address next month.
The education-sector lawmaker urged the government to add special educational needs coordinators in mainstream schools. "This is step one to promoting integration of resources; it'll benefit support for special needs students," said Ip.
He also hopes that Leung Chun-ying fulfils his promise of 15 years of free schooling in his 2015 Policy Address, adding that the proposal has widespread public support.
Ip's other requests include providing financial aid for self-funded associate degree and undergraduate students, and increasing the graduate-teacher ratio.
He also proposed that any curriculum reforms, for example, changes to liberal studies or Chinese history, should be based on the principle that education cannot serve politics.
The budget for education is another of Ip's concerns. He said that government spending on education is below society's expectations.
At the moment, the government only spends 3.6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) on education. Ip wants to increase this to 4.5 per cent, highlighting that the average percentage of the GDP invested in education in developed countries is 5.3 per cent.
Ip will submit his proposals to Leung and Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheung Yuet-ngor by the end of this month, local media reported.