The Education Bureau (EDB) is responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong. The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees agencies including University Grants Committee and Student Finance Office. History The Education Department ( and before 1983) was responsible for education matters in the territory, with the exception of post-secondary and tertiary education. In 2003, the department was abolished and a new bureau, the Education and Manpower Bureau ( abbreviated EMB) was formed. In July 2007, under newly re-elected Chief Executive Donald Tsang, the manpower portfolio was split away to the new Labour and Welfare Bureau, leaving this body as the Education Bureau. The bureau was formerly housed at the Former French Mission Building. Structure The bureau mainly consists of seven branches, which are responsible for different policies. Each branch is led by a Deputy Secretary for Education. Further & Higher Education Branch Planning, Infrastructure and School Places Allocation Branch Professional Development & Special Education Branch School Development & Administration Branch Curriculum and Quality Assurance Branch Corporate Services Branch Special Duties The bureau also oversees two child agencies: the University Grants Committee Secretariat and the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency. Education system The Education System includes: Kindergarten Education, Primary and Secondary School Education, Special Education, Post-secondary Education, and other Education and Training. Controversies Censorship of textbooks In August 2020, the Education Bureau, with the aim to "help student develop positive values", made changes to the Liberal Studies textbooks of the six main publishers, who were invited to join the voluntary consultancy service introduced by the bureau in the previous year. The pro-democracy Professional Teachers' Union (PTU) said some teachers received messages from the publishers that the amendments relating to criticizing the mainland Chinese government and some political cartoons were replaced with emphasizing the possible criminal consequences for participants. The union accused that it is practising 'political censorship and "had severely damaged the goals" of setting up the project. On 5 October 2020, the Education Bureau deregistered a primary school teacher, the teacher was accused of using pro-independence materials, which the Bureau claims is an act of "spreading Hong Kong Independence message". The Professional Teachers Union strongly condemned the teacher's disqualification. In a statement, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union accused the education bureau of failing to conduct a fair investigation. It said the unilateral disqualification and issuing of warning letters to the