The Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) is instituted by the Education Bureau of Hong Kong to enhance the quality of private schools at the primary and secondary levels. The Hong Kong government has been encouraging non-government secondary schools which have attained a sufficiently high educational standard to join the DSS by providing subsidies to enhance the quality of private school education since the 1991–92 school year. In the 2000–01 school year, the DSS was extended to primary schools. Under the scheme, schools are free to decide on their curriculum, fees, and entrance requirements.

Standard

Non-government schools must satisfy stipulated standards to be eligible to join the scheme. The standards include requirements regarding the mode of operation (unisessional), class size, teacher's qualifications and facilities. For example, schools need a permanent school premises, more than 70 per cent of teachers had to be degree-holders, and they had to have sufficient facilities such as computer, music and language labs.

Curricula

DSS schools are free to design their own curriculum. They are not subject to the guidelines issued by the Education Department. Although DSS schools are required to offer principally a curriculum targeting local students and prepare its students to sit for local examinations,

Admission

DSS schools are generally free to select their own students, However, DSS schools are not allowed to select their students by conducting written entrance tests.

A DSS school will receive full recurrent subsidy until its fee level reaches 2 1/3 times the average unit cost of an aided school place. Beyond this level, no recurrent subsidy is available. The level of recurrent subsidy received by a DSS school is hence dependent on the number of students enrolled in that particular school.

To cater for students from less well-off families, DSS schools are required to set aside at least 10% of their income for fee / scholarship schemes. DSS schools are free to spend their grants for educational purposes, subject to inspection of their audited accounts. Ex-aided DSS schools will be given an option to revert to aided status only if the government changes the formula for calculating DSS subsidy such that the school financial viability is adversely affected. and irregularities in its accounts were revealed. The school management committee agreed to pay an advance payment of two to three weeks to Pegasus Social Service Christian Organization, the sponsoring body, which is also the school's service provider and chaired by school supervisor Carmen Leung Suk-ching. The government's monitoring mechanism over DSS schools has therefore been criticised by legislators.

The scheme has also been criticised as benefiting the private education sector and the well-off students at the expense of the public sector.

Examples

  • Diocesan Boys' School
  • Diocesan Girls' School
  • HKMA David Li Kwok Po College
  • Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union Logos Academy
  • Good Hope School
  • Heep Yunn School
  • St. Paul's Convent School
  • St. Paul's Co-educational College
  • St. Paul's College
  • Li Po Chun United World College, a member of the United World College movement.
  • Ying Wa College
  • YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College

See also

  • Education in Hong Kong
  • Dion Chen

References

  • Direct Subsidy Scheme webpage of the Education Bureau
  • List of DSS schools