📋 Tender Overview
Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a reply by the Secretary for Education Dr Choi Yuklin in the Legislative Council today Mar 18
Question
There are views pointing out that the kindergarten sector is facing a period of operational difficulties amid the decline in the source of students and increase in costs In this connection will the Government inform this Council
1 given that the Government is studying the integration of various school subsidies to enhance efficiency whether it will concurrently explore granting kindergartens greater flexibility in resource allocation allowing them to flexibly use the subsidies across different subsidised areas to help them more effectively cope with rising operating expenses
2 as some members of the sector have pointed out that the current employment requirements for the Relief Grant for Appointment of Kindergarten Supply Teachers lack flexibility making it increasingly difficult for kindergartens to employ supply teachers whether the Government will when integrating various kindergarten subsidies also study the refinement of the employment requirements for supply teachers taking the actual needs of kindergartens as the basis for consideration so as to facilitate their employment of suitable personnel to fill shortterm vacancies and
3 in the face of structural adjustments in the student population apart from encouraging school sponsoring bodies to achieve synergy through mergers whether the Government will consider studying and introducing other support measures to assist kindergartens with excellent educational quality but temporarily affected by fluctuations in the source of students thereby maintaining the stability of Hong Kongs early childhood education system
Reply
President
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region HKSAR Government attaches great importance to early childhood education and implemented the Kindergarten Education Scheme the Scheme in the 201718 school year to provide good quality and highly affordable kindergarten KG education to schoolage children turning a new page of KG education The Government has put in substantial resources and implemented various measures including student unit subsidy teacher professionalism monitoring and quality assurance school premises and facilities curriculum and students learning as well as parent education
The Government provides KGs joining the Scheme SchemeKGs with direct halfday unit subsidy according to the number of eligible students KGs offering wholeday and long wholeday services will receive an additional subsidy of 30 per cent and 60 per cent respectively Unit subsidy is used for teaching staff salary supporting staff salary and other operating costs In addition grants related to premises support to nonChinese speaking NCS students etc are provided according to school context
The rate of enrolment in KG education in Hong Kong is close to 100 per cent which reflects that KG education in Hong Kong is universally accessible under its education system and also highlights the specific features and strengths of flexibility and diversity in KG education KGs receiving recurrent funding from the government operate flexibly and respond promptly to society changes and parents needs The Education Bureau EDB has been consistently working in concerted efforts with colleagues in the KG sector to provide quality KG education for our students
Moreover the EDB has been continuously reviewing and enhancing the Scheme as appropriate to support KGs ongoing development from multiple perspectives For example we provided SchemeKGs with additional subsidies the Support Grant the Grant for Procurement of Ventilation Assessment Service and the Grant for Procurement of Air Purifiers etc at multiple times during the COVID19 epidemic Meanwhile to enhance teacher professionalism structured learning programmes lasting for several weeks have been provided for experienced teachers senior teachers or aspiring teachers and subsidies for supply teachers have been provided in this regard Moreover the oneoff Professional Capacity Enhancement Grant was provided in 2022 and 2024 to enhance teachers professionalism
In addition we provided the oneoff Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture to strengthen national education and the oneoff Grant for Promotion of National Education through Homeschool Cooperation to encourage KGs in organising more diversified schoolbased activities through homeschool cooperation to help students understand and appreciate Chinese culture from an early age
The EDB has all along maintained communication with the sector and pragmatically keep making refinements to the Scheme with a view to supporting the continuous development of KGs
Our key reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei is as follows
1 To enhance costeffectiveness of resources KGs are allowed to flexibly deploy resources to meet schoolbased needs For example KGs can flexibly deploy the unit subsidy to cover their daily operating costs teaching staff and nonteaching staff salary and related expenses The portions of teaching staff salary 60 per cent and the other operating cost 40 per cent have been combined when calculating the reserve ceiling for the accumulated surplus of unit subsidy Besides the EDB has made a special arrangement allowing KGs to maintain the reserve of unit subsidy from equivalent to 12 months to 18 months of the provision in the 202122 to 202526 accounting years with a view to minimising interference of schoolage population change on school planned development
Having consulted the sector and considered various factors the EDB decided to consolidate the Oneoff Parent Education Grant the Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture and the Enhanced Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture as well as the Grant for Promotion of National Education through Homeschool Cooperation into the Consolidated Oneoff Grant and ext
