Grant School (Hong Kong)

Grant Schools are a special type of secondary schools in Hong Kong. According to the Education and Manpower Bureau of Hong Kong, "Grant School” are referred to 'any secondary school which receives subsidies in accordance with the Code of Aid for Secondary Schools and which was, before 1 April 1973, in receipt of grants in accordance with the Grant Code.' [http://www.emb.org.hk/EDNEWHP/resource/edu_doc/coa/sec_coa/coa_sec_e.pdf] They were established by missionaries and churches in nineteenth and early twentieth century, and receive grant-in-aid from the government to operate, thus named Grant Schools.

Background

The emergence of Grant Schools is related to a specific historical context. When the colony of Hong Kong was established as Britain's trading outpost in the Far East, the need of local education for trade as well as administer the territory were found. However the colonial government was not able to provide a sufficient education as needed. After the passage of Elementary Education Act 1870 by the imperial parliament, which allowed state funding to Church schools, the colonial government followed suit and adopted the similar measures to provide public education by limited financial resources.

The resulting 1873 Grant Code is a product of the aforementioned development. It regulates the criteria for admission to the grant-in-aid scheme and other the standards of the schools. The government also provides land and gives grants to establish schools. In turn the duty of administering the day to day operation of the schools fall into the hand of the missionaries. Grant-in-aid from the government provided only part financial income for the schools, donations and tuition fees are other sources to finance the schools. The government thus have the church to shoulder the financial and administrative burden of providing education, and in turn the church have another platform to expand their missionary activities.

Current Situation

After the introduction of universal primary education (1971) and junior secondary education (1978) the practical differences between the Grant Schools and other Government Subsidised Schools are little. But due to their distinguished history and alumni, the Grant Schools in Hong Kong have established themselves as a tier of elite schools in the territory. A number of Grant Schools have recently joined the Direct Subsidy Scheme, another funding programme initiated by the government which allow greater freedom for schools to set curriculum, entrance requirement and tuition fee [http://www.emb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeid=1475&langno=1] , in high profile partly due to their dissatisfactions towards the perceived unfriendly education reform policy. These schools included [http://www.emb.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/Content_175/schlist(fees)_e.pdf] :

*Diocesan Boys' School
*Diocesan Girls' School
*St. Paul's Co-educational College
*St. Paul's College
*St. Paul's Convent School
*Ying Wa College

Grant Schools Council

The Grant Schools Council was formed in 1939 to reflect the interests of the Grant Schools. Consists of the head masters and principals of the Grant Schools, there are currently twenty two members. The Council is highly critical of the education reform in recent years, as they see this as an attempt of the government to destroy these 'relic institutes from the former dynasty'.

Grant Schools Represented in the Grant School Council

*Diocesan Boys' School (1869)
*Diocesan Girls' School (1860)
*Heep Yunn School (1936)
*La Salle College (1932)
*Maryknoll Convent School (1925)
*Marymount Secondary School (1927)
*Methodist College (1958)
*Sacred Heart Canossian College (1860)
*St. Clare's Girls' School (1927)
*St. Francis' Canossian College (1869)
*St. Joseph's College (1875)
*St. Mark's School (1949)
*St. Mary's Canossian College (1900)
*St. Paul's Co-educational College (1915)
*St. Paul's College (1851)
*St. Paul's Convent School (1854)
*St. Paul's Secondary School (1960)
*St. Stephen's Girls' College (1906)
*Wah Yan College, Hong Kong (1919)
*Wah Yan College, Kowloon (1924)
*Ying Wa College (1818)
*Ying Wa Girls' School (1900)

See also

* Education in Hong Kong
* List of schools in Hong Kong

External links

Codes of Aid (1994), retrieved from the Education and Manpower Bureau's website [http://www.emb.gov.hk/index.aspx?nodeID=680&langno=1]