The proposal on fine-tuning the medium of instruction policy for junior secondary level will be presented to the Legislative Council's Education Panel meeting in mid-January, the Education Bureau said today.

Once the details are finalised they will be implemented in the 2010-11 school year.

The bureau said there has been a general consensus among the majority of the stakeholders over the need to change the rigid arrangement under the existing policy, so students will be given more exposure to Chinese and English to achieve the goal of proficiency in both languages.

The bureau said it is arbitrary to say at this stage the fine-tuning proposal will not be implemented.

It said it aims to give schools more flexibility and room for development to make professional decisions on school-based medium of instruction arrangements to ensure smooth transition for students to senior and post-secondary education, which is normally conducted in English.

The bureau will continue discussions with stakeholders on the implementation details.