File 13 - Negatives of SCAST activities 2004

The School of Creative Arts, Sciences and Technology ("SCAST") was part of the new academic structure which came into effect at the Hong Kong Institute of Education ("HKIEd") from the 1998/99 academic year until September 2005, when HKIEd underwent another academic restructuring.

In line with the upgrading of the HKIEd to a university-level institution and the development of bachelor and postgraduate programmes, a working group was set up by the Academic Board to recommend a new structure after wide consultation with all staff. On 5 June 1998, the Council endorsed the recommendation to create four Schools and twelve Departments for commencement in the 1998/99 academic year. Under this new structure, the four Schools were responsible for organising academic programmes, whereas the twelve Departments were reorganised within the four Schools and they focused on extending their expertise in the different programmes and courses organised by their respective School.

The SCAST was responsible for organising secondary and technology education programmes. As of 1 October 2004, SCAST had four Departments and one Centre, namely, the Department of Creative Arts, the Department of Information and Applied Technology, the Department of Mathematics, the Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, and the Centre for Alliance for Educational Innovation.

With the attainment of the self-accrediting university status in May 2004, HKIEd decided to realign its organisational structure by merging the four Schools into two Faculties as from September 2005: the Faculty of Languages, Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty of Professional and Early Childhood Education. Major academic and research developments were to be coordinated at the Institute level with implementation taking place at the Faculty and Department levels. The SCAST and the other three Schools therefore ceased to exist from September 2005.