The School-Based Management Policy is an education policy within the Education Ordinance of the Education Bureau in Hong Kong. The policy was made law when The "Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004" bill was passed by Legco in July 2004. Under the amended Education Ordinance, all Hong Kong primary and secondary schools are required to set up incorporated management committees, or IMCs, by the year 2010. In addition, the proportion of board members representing the school-sponsoring body will be reduced to 60% within the IMC, allowing teachers, parents, alumni and community members to make up the rest of the 40%. The bill also stipulates that all authorities and responsibilities of the IMC must be clearly defined by each school.School-Based Management Policy- How Much Do You Know? – HKEdCity 12 May 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)IMC Q&A – Education Bureau. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)
Term There are two different ways of referring to the School-Based Management Policy in both the Chinese and the English media. While all English-language media refer to the School-Based Management Policy as a "policy" within the ordinance (or simply referring to the bill), all Chinese-language media have collectively decided to refer to it as an "ordinance" rather than a "policy". The differences in the terms is self-evident in the made-up Chinese term , literally meaning "School-Based Ordinance".
Background The Education and Manpower Bureau introduced the draft school-based management policy back in 2001. In November 2002, the draft "Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2002" bill was passed by Legco and gazetted. On 8 July 2004, the "Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004" bill was approved by Legco, and after government gazetting, it became the "Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004" bill. The School-Based Management Policy in the amended Education Ordinance came into force in January 2005. In July 2005, Legco approved a HK$350 million government funding for the setting up of IMCs at all government-aided schools.Education reforms aim for better, brighter students – The Standard 30 December 2004. Retrieved 31 May 2008.IMC – Challenges and Opportunities to the Church – Raymond's Papers 12 August 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)Catholics: School-Based Education Ordinance A Violation of Basic Law – Application of Judicial Review – The Gospel Herald 9 December 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) School-Based Education Ordinance JR Loss – Apple Daily 24 November 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)
Implementation Overall Generally speaking, as of November 2006, 160 schools have set up IMCs, 50 are waiting for government approval, and around 100 have promised incorporation within the year.Sponsoring Bodies Wary of Reduced Autonomy – The Sun 24 November 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)Hong Kong Catholics in Amended Education Ordinance Loss – Radio Free Asia 23 November 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) Around 400 church schools belonging to the Catholic and other major Christian organisations are still refusing to set up IMCs.Supporting and Opposing Sponsoring Bodies Show Their Colours – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) 6 June 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) The Education Bureau promised a policy review in 2008.
Exceptions The Hong Kong Anglican Church operates around 150 schools. The school boards of approximately 80 of those, operate under the education ordinance and as such, are affected by the school-based management policy and cannot avoid the setting up of IMCs. Since school boards of around 70 others had existed prior to the establishment of the education ordinance, with some even enjoying the legal status of a statutory organisation, they are not affected in any way.Legal Status of St. Paul's College – Wikipedia
His Excellency Mr. Sukavich Rangsitpol Minister of Education, Thailand (1995–1997) laid out his plans for education in Thailand.
At the very beginning, the crucial element to be considered for education reform is the management system. The administrative power, in particular, has to be shifted to local authorities, and local participation in the school management is essentially encouraged. We cannot deny that people who know more about the educational needs of local people are those who work and live within that community.
Thailand has implemented School-based management (SBM) policy in 1997 to overcoming a profound crisis in the education system.
Establish effective Provincial Education Councils with strong community membership. The purpose of decentralization is to ensure that local education needs are met, there should be a close relationship between community representatives and officials. Thus, decentralization will require a careful balance between the guidance of community selected representatives and government officials. To representing local needs and priorities
Sponsoring bodies' stances Supporting Po Leung Kuk operates 43 primary and secondary schools. Their IMCs shall be set up in stages.Supporting and Opposing Sides Show Their True Colours – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) 6 June 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)HKSKH: We Support Appeal – Justice Will Be On Our Side – Ming Pao, c/o Sina 23 November 2006. Retrieved 3 June 2008. (in Chinese) The Hong Kong Buddhist Association operates 51 schools. Sik Sik Yuen operates 10 schools.
Neutral Tung Wah Group of Hospitals operates over 30 schools.
No stance The Hong Kong Taoist Association.
Opposing After passage at Legco, the school-based management policy ran into fierce oppositions from the Catholic, Anglican, Methodist and other major church organisations whose schools make up to one quarter of all schools in Hong Kong. They feared the amended ordinance would reduce the churches' autonomy, dilute its power and even compromise the educational philosophy and moral and religious guidance of their schools. The setting up of IMCs, they say, would increase the risks of lawsuits and escalate the cost of insurance for the schools, ultimately bankrupting the churches.Conspiracy – The Standard 15 December 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2008.Church seeks schools' ruling – The Standard 8 December 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2008.Church fights for power in schools setup – The Standard 14 October 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2008. HKSKH: Insurance Cover Increased to $30 Million a Year – Sing Tao Daily 19 October 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese)
Timeline of opposition On 17 December 2003, the Education and Manpower Bureau raised the prospect of a cut in the 2004 education funding. Sponsoring Bodies: Early Knowledge of Funding Needed – Sing Tao Daily 17 December 2003. Retrieved 9 December 2007.(in Chinese) After passage of the amended bill, around 80 Anglican schools incorporated their boards as limited liability companies. The authorities of these 80 schools were then transferred to 2 limited liability companies set up by the Hong Kong Anglican Church. They are: Anglican (Hong Kong) Primary Schools Council Limited and Anglican (Hong Kong) Secondary Schools Council Limited.HKSKH Education Secretary Timothy Ha: Bureau's statement Totally Incorrect – Bureau Constantly Ignores Sponsoring Bodies' Opinions – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal), Echo, 6 June 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) On 24 May 2004, the Education and Manpower Bureau alleged that the Anglican Church had remained silent during the whole 18 months after the gazetting of the bill. Their silence, EMB said, was very puzzling. On 6 June 2004, the Anglican Church's Education Secretary Timothy Ha fired back in a rebuttal, saying the EMB's statement on 24 May was totally incorrect. Ha stated that the Anglican Church had clearly expressed their stance on two separate occasions, in Sponsoring Bodies Association letters sent to the Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2002 committee at Legco on 10 March and 10 October 2003 respectively. Ha further stated that the Anglican Church had also attended several Legco hearings in which the church had unmistakably stated its legal worries associated with the bill, in full attendance of EMB officials. There was no way the EMB could deny knowledge of all these facts.Fury at school management plan – The Standard 23 June 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2008. Cardinal Joseph Zen of the Catholic Church maintained that since Secretary Li had repeated the stance of the EMB like a broken record, the churches were forced to repeat their stance of "3 noes and 1 yes". 3 noes stand for, 1) This is not about democratisation or school-based management (of our schools); 2) This is not about transparency or accountability (of our schools); 3) The government's stubborn stance is not based on any consultations, discussions or any world educational trends. 1 yes stands for: The core of the matter is, the government wants the introduction of IMCs, that's their bottom line. To put it bluntly, the government wants to control every single school in Hong Kong by delegating authorities from school-sponsoring bodies to individual IMCs.Another Coerced Discussion Orchestrated by Secretary Li – Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong 24 May 2004. Retrieved 2 June 2008. On 5 July 2004, whilst attending an open forum organised by the Catholic Justice and Peace Committee at the St. Francis of Assisi Church in Shek Kip Mei, Cardinal Joseph Zen stated that the church would spend the next few years proving that Catholic schools could implement the spirit of the school-based management policy without the implementation of IMCs.Catholic Justice and Peace Committee's Open Forum on School-Based Management Policy – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) 11 July 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) On 8 July 2004, the amended Education Ordinance was passed by Legco with an 8-vote majority.Education officials unfazed by Zen threat – The Standard 21 June 2005. Retrieved 7 July 2004.Fierce 13-hour Hostile Debate – Churches Reject Bill – Apple Daily 8 July 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007, (in Chinese) On 11 July 2004, the Methodist Church reiterated its stance on the issue, saying that it would continue operating its schools with an open attitude, allowing teachers, parents and alumni members to be elected into its school boards. The Methodist Church stated that according to article 141 of the Basic Law, religious organisations were allowed to carry on operating schools under previous practices. The Church, it further stated, would firmly retain its current mode of operation which had been successful and effective in coordinating, leading and supporting its schools. It vehemently opposed to the mandatory setting up of IMCs at its schools and requested a Legco review that would ultimately allow different school-based management modes.Methodist Church's Response to the Education Ordinance Amendment – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) 11 July 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) On 10 October 2004, Timothy Ha stated that the bill was forcibly pushed through with a slim margin by the government who had amassed all the support it could muster. Educational Sermon at Holy Trinity Church Education With Love (part 1) HKSKH Education Secretary – Hong Kong Anglican Church (Episcopal) 10 October 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2007. (in Chinese) In May 2005, Cardinal Zen threatened to apply for a judicial review if Legco approved extra funds for schools that set up IMCs before the 2008–09 school year. After which, EMB Secretary Arthur Li told the cardinal to "calm down".