We have seen huge changes in the education sector in the last two decades. The Council has been privileged and proud to play its role. While predicting the future is always a dangerous proposition, it does help to clear one’s mind to see beyond the surrounding haze. One thing we can be sure of: compared to what the Council has seen and achieved since its inception, “we ain’t seen nothing yet”. So here we go.

There will be a “long term, scientific strategic plan”¹ for education in Hong Kong (amongst other policy initiatives). This will be a local product, commensurate with and complementary to the national education plan. This will also enjoy a full understanding and hopefully a strong support from the community at large, in particular from all the stakeholders. While the “big” market will always be duly considered in such a plan, it will by no means be the only driver. A harmonious and egalitarian society, the enhancement of a value system, an emphasis on both the material and spiritual qualities of life as well as other less tangible but nonetheless precious assets that we all treasure, will be incorporated into this visionary strategic plan.

Under such a liberal environment and in an ever faster changing world, a hundred flowers will bloom in the education sector. There will be more public and many more private providers. Some will aim for an all round education while others will find niches to specialise. The biggest change will be in the mode of instruction². Technological advance, especially in communications, will usher in an era that is beyond our imagination. Outcome based approach, which is still in its nascent stages and not without controversy in this decade, will become a necessity in such a diverse environment.

How will Quality Assurance be conducted then? First of all “outcome”³ will necessarily be defined to a large extent by the providers, or at least by an organised sector, within the larger and long term strategy as mentioned above. There must be ample evidence to support an institution’s or provider’s claim against its stated goals, and there must be a clear path for periodic review and continuous improvement. Finally the outcomes will be subject to the ultimate acceptance by the stakeholders at all levels. Nonetheless it will be a criterion radically different from what is still a heavily input based mode of assessment prevailing today. QA agencies will have to be even more versatile and flexible to meet the challenges, while their roles of verification, differentiation and directing will become ever more valuable in a tumultuous landscape.

The Council has built up a proud tradition. On this anniversary occasion let us look forward to the next decades of more successes.




Dr York LIAO, SBS, JP
Chairman



1. Message from Premier Wan to Hong Kong on its three major tasks on March 14, 2011.

2. Last year (2010) the Chairman’s Message had more to say on that topic.

3. "Outcome-based" quality assurance is a controversial concept and is difficult to explain, but it means a focus on student performance and achievement of learning goals rather than resources and inputs – a challenging work agenda of the HKCAAVQ.