The deadline for applications under the first round of funding from the Elder Academy Development Foundation in 2020 has been extended to June 30, the Labour & Welfare Bureau announced today.

The decision aims to provide sufficient time for primary and secondary school sponsoring bodies, post-secondary institutions and organisations, which may be affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, to prepare their submissions.

The fund’s committee accepts funding applications all year round and conducts vetting and disburses funding twice a year. The deadlines were generally May 31 and October 31 respectively.

The committee will continue to monitor the situation and announce arrangements for the next round in due course.

To tie in with the Elder Academy Scheme, the fund mainly provides funding for primary and secondary schools as well as post-secondary institutions to set up academies to provide learning opportunities in a school setting for the elderly.

Funding is also provided for activities that encourage elderly learning and inter-generational harmony.

Call 3655 5861 or 3655 5007 for enquiries.

About $31 million in funding has been given to support 79 projects under the special round of the Public Policy Research (PPR) Funding Scheme, the Government announced today.

A total of 210 applications were received for the special round, which was launched last November to fund local research institutions and think tanks to research topics relating to the underlying causes of the social incidents that took place in the second half of 2019.

The research may also cover important political, economic, cultural and societal issues relating to deep-seated problems of society.

Assessment of the applications received under the special round was conducted by the independent assessment panel chaired by and comprising experienced academics.

The research quality of the proposal and relevance to the themes of the special round were the principal assessment criteria, with consideration given to factors such as whether the research proposal was solution-oriented, feasible and practical, whether the methodology was reasonable and sound, the applicant’s capability and whether the proposed budget was cost-effective. 

The assessment panel took a holistic view on each research proposal, reached a collective decision and made recommendations, the Policy Innovation & Co-ordination Office said, adding that a declaration of interest system was in place to ensure the assessments were fair and impartial.

In general, a sum of up to $500,000 has been granted to each approved project under the special round.

The approved projects have commenced progressively and are expected to be completed by the end of the year, with the first batch to be completed in late September to early October.

Click here for details of the funded projects.

A coronavirus test – which aims to deliver rapid results – has received major funding.

(George Mason University) Nathan Sleeter, Research Assistant Professor, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM), is directing a project in which RRCHNM will create three classroom simulations based on events from the history of diplomacy for secondary education instructors.

Research Event

Event participants

Helen Alderson, Head of Regional Delegation to UK and Ireland, International Committee of the Red Cross
Paul van Zyl, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, The Conduit
Maya Marissa Malek, Chief Executive Officer, Amanie Advisors Global Office
Chair: Maram Ahmed, Senior Teaching Fellow, SOAS, University of London

20 April 2020

Jackie Applebee is a GP in Tower Hamlets in London, and is concerned that the way the GP funding formula is working doesn't take account of the earlier health needs of people in deprived areas. For more about the Tower Hamlets Save Our Surgery campaign, visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurGPsurgeries BMJ Voices is a...

The ADA is urging Congress to continue supporting small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing funding and streamlining the application process for Small Business Administration loans.

The Small Business Administration said that as of April 16, the agency is unable to accept any new applications for the Paycheck Protection Program or the Economic Injury Disaster Loans due to a lack of funding.

On this webinar, experts and state refugee resettlement program leaders discuss two activities that can be key parts of a broader strategy for sustaining and improving employment services for refugees: Partnerships with experts in workforce development strategies, and access to federal workforce development funding.

On this webinar, experts and state refugee resettlement program leaders discuss activities that can be key parts of a broader strategy for sustaining and improving employment services for refugees, including partnerships with experts in workforce development strategies, access to federal workforce development funding, and other policies and resources.

The political landscape for updating school finance systems won’t be any easier in the 2020 legislative season, despite a surging economy, state flexibility under ESSA, and single-party control in many states.

Several states this year sought to replace their funding formulas, a monumental fiscal and political feat, but only a handful of legislatures have been able to get proposals to their governors' desks.

Several states this year sought to replace their funding formulas, a monumental fiscal and political feat, but only a handful of legislatures have been able to get proposals to their governors' desks.

Thousands of teachers marched in Annapolis on Monday evening, pushing for higher pay and more resources for their students.

The political landscape for updating school finance systems won’t be any easier in the 2020 legislative season, despite a surging economy, state flexibility under ESSA, and single-party control in many states.

A school district in Tennessee says it no longer wants teachers to use crowdfunding websites to get extra school supplies.

Teachers and other education advocates hope that tax-wary voters will be willing to approve an amendment that would pour more than $1.6 billion more into schools each year.

Teachers in Colorado forced at least one school district to close as they rallied at the capitol to call for more education funding.

Biden's campaign announced March 31 that the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate backs two local attempts to raise more tax revenue for schools.

As the number of charter schools continues to grow, voters in California will be forced to examine their largess.

Democrat Gavin Newsom, who takes office Jan. 7, plans to expand full-day kindergarten and child-care offerings in the state, according to media reports.

The case being heard by the Supreme Court next week deals with a debate that has raged since the 19th century about federal education funding for private religious schools.

Hawaii teachers have joined the Red for Ed movement: Last week, dozens of teachers across the state staged a "walk-in" protest to spread awareness about what they see as a lack of funding for public schools.

Gov. Christie has pushed to flatten the state's funding formula so that the state's impoverished urban districts would get the same amount of money wealthy suburban districts get.

The Urban Institute released a toolkit aimed at policymakers and investors interested in using private dollars to pay for public programs, such as prekindergarten.

Six school systems, the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools, and the NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference want to change the state's school-funding system, which allows for wide spending gaps between low- and high-income districts.

The lawsuit, filed in 2014, alleges that the state was severely underfunding schools, forcing school districts to lean heavily on property taxes, which especially disadvantages students in property-poor areas.

The supreme court put an end to five years of legal wrangling that landed the state's public school system with millions more dollars from the state and teachers with a pay raise.

"The objective of the audit was to assess whether the award of funding under the RJIP program was informed by appropriate departmental advice and that processes complied with the grants administration framework."--Page 8.

The Kansas Supreme Court has again ruled that the money the state legislature provides its schools is constitutionally inadequate.

Kansas will offer up $534 million more this fall to its public schools, an amount it will tell the state's supreme court in the coming weeks is enough to provide students with an "adequate" education.

The state's courts said the additional $548 million the legislature provided its schools this year is still not enough to ensure a constitutionally adequate education.

Some state lawmakers said that Monday's ruling is another sign that they should ask voters whether or not the state's highest court should have a say over school spending amounts.

A plan to end a years-long court battle over school funding in Kansas is under threat after an influential group of school districts withdrew its support.