The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will offer 12-year free education starting from the 2008-09 school year, HKSAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang announced Wednesday.

"We will fully subsidize students in public secondary schools, including senior secondary education," he said when delivering, at the Legislative Council, the first Policy Address since his reelection as HKSAR Chief Executive in March 2007.

Hong Kong has been providing nine-year free education through public primary and secondary schools. Some people consider that this should extend to senior secondary forms.

Tsang said that the offer of 12-year free education demonstrates the government's steadfast commitment to education and the nurturing of our next generation.

"For students under the new three-year senior secondary education structure starting from the 2009-10 school year, we will provide 12-year free education. For those secondary students under the existing structure, we will provide 13-year free education," he said.

Some Form Three school leavers in Hong Kong have chosen to enroll in full-time subsidized courses provided by the Vocational Training Council instead of pursuing senior secondary education.

Tsang said that starting from the 2008-09 school year, the government will fully subsidize these courses to provide an alternative free avenue for senior secondary students to further their studies other than in mainstream education.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2007)