The reorganization of the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) and the Education Department (ED) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) is an important step to ensure better synergy in formulating and implementing education policies.
The proposal of a merger, which took effect on January 1, came after a review of the work processes and the staffing establishment of both EMB and ED following the implementation of the accountability system from July 1, 2002, a government spokesman said Thursday.
"The proposed new organization will retain the title of EMB. The current reorganization will lead to a flattened hierarchy and streamlined procedures to enable better integration of efforts," the spokesman added.
"The new structure will also strengthen professional leadership in school administration, professional development, curriculum and quality assurance, and the delivery of support services to schools which are critical for enhancing the effectiveness of student learning," the spokesman noted.
The spokesman said that the reorganization would result in an annual saving of about 14 million HK dollars (US$1.79 million) with the net deletion of five directorate positions including the DE post and corresponding supporting positions.
"We envisage that there is scope for further savings in operating costs through process re-engineering and refusing of priorities," the spokesman said, adding that the reorganization is a process of enhancing service quality and making better use of resources.
(Xinhua News Agency January 3, 2003)
