In tandem with one of the recommendations set out in the review report with the theme “Optimise the curriculum for the future, Foster whole-person development and diverse talents” of the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum, the Education Bureau (EDB) accepted in April 2021 the proposals to optimise the four senior secondary (SS) core subjects put forward by the Curriculum Development Council (CDC) and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) Public Examinations Board with the aim of creating space for students and catering for learner diversity. The related optimising measures are fully implemented in an orderly manner.
The EDB regularly reviews the implementation of the SS curriculum and assessment in schools. Based on the experience of optimising the four SS core subjects, the EDB will extend curriculum and assessment differentiation arrangements to SS elective subjects progressively, with the aim of further catering for learner diversity and fostering students' whole-person development.
Schools can review and plan the curriculum in a holistic manner, and release space to varying degrees in order to cater for students’ diverse learning and developmental needs with due regard to each school’s own context and student needs. The lesson time released can facilitate schools’ provision of more diversified options for students, for example, enabling them to take an additional elective subject (including Applied Learning), engage in more in-depth study of subjects (based on the principle of optimising the SS core subjects, which is to create space for students and cater for learner diversity, we do not recommend that schools allocate the lesson time released to teach the core subjects), study the Extended Part (Module 1 (M1) / Module 2 (M2)) in parallel with the Compulsory Part of Mathematics, participate more actively in Other Learning Experiences (OLE) as well as life-wide learning activities, and engage in other personal pursuits to cater for their different interests, abilities and aspirations.
Based on the experience of optimising the four SS core subjects, the committees on elective subjects under the CDC and the HKEAA are exploring progressively ways of extending curriculum and assessment differentiation arrangements to SS elective subjects. The Curriculum and Assessment Guides for the relevant subjects will be updated in due course. Further details are available at the designated webpage "Ongoing Renewal of the School Curriculum - Curriculum Guides and Documents".
Besides, schools can release space to varying degrees with due regard to their own context and student needs through holistic curriculum review and planning. More diversified options could be provided for students, such as allowing them to take Applied Learning courses in order to cater for students’ diverse learning and developmental needs. Further details about Applied Learning are available at the designated webpage "Applied Learning".