Accommodation and Facilities

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SSBs/operators to acquire their own KG premises as a long-term strategy.

6.1.11 The Committee also recommends that the Government may explore the possibility of co-location of KGs and primary schools, either in existing primary school premises or in new schools. The Committee is of the view that this might be a possible option for KGs and primary schools under the same SSB. EDB might also consider revising the design of new primary school premises in the future to make co-location possible as and when necessary.

6.1.12 While it is the long-term target to provide more quality KG premises, some medium-term measures to support KGs in terms of premises facilities should also be considered. The Committee recommends that the Government may explore the feasibility of setting up resource centres, by region if feasible, for use by KGs.

Drawing from overseas experience, such centres would be able to provide a safe education environment and a variety of activity-based learning activities for children from KGs in the region. Given the scarcity of land in Hong Kong and the lack of adequate facilities, KGs and their children should benefit from such resource centres.

6.1.13 Given most KGs are operating in public housing estates or on private premises and need to pay rent, the Committee proposes that the Government would consider providing rental subsidy to KGs. Details on the proposal are in Chapter 7.

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sanitation, etc. The Operation Manual, compiled in 2006, is revised on a need basis with reference to changes in legislation, rules and regulations upon advice by the respective departments.

The Stakeholders’ Views and Committee’s Deliberations

6.2.3 In this connection, a consultancy study had been commissioned to study KG accommodation and facilities as well as the future design of KG premises. With regard to the standard accommodation and facilities of KGs, there were views that the Operation Manual should be reviewed to take into account contemporary needs, including the requirements on space for each student, teacher facilities and student facilities. The major concern on students’ facilities was the lack of space and spatial flexibilities for teaching. There was a strong call for a clearer and more systematic re-evaluation on the minimal size of the future classrooms for KGs. Consideration should also be given to raising the standard of indoor play area. In this connection, the accommodation requirements as well as the basic functions and facilities should be carefully re-evaluated and re-considered in tandem with the KG curriculum and teaching philosophy. Specifically, some suggested increasing the indoor area per student by about 25%. Some considered that it would be desirable to have an outdoor play area as well, subject to availability of suitable sites/premises.

6.2.4 Some were of the view that certain special rooms such as Music Room and Art Room should be the core components of KGs for promoting effective learning of young children. Other facilities such as learning corners, library corners, medical room, display area for children’s work and larger storage area for various purposes would be required. It was also proposed that for each classroom, there should be a washing basin and storage space. Some suggested that the toilet arrangement should be re-designed, e.g. in a decentralised manner such as pocket toilets between classrooms to facilitate effective use by students, maintain the hygienic environment and avoid queuing up.

6.2.5 On teachers’ facilities, some were of the view that there was a need to improve the working environment for teachers. There were suggestions that KGs should have a principal office and a staff room. It was noted in some KGs that teachers had to work in students’ classroom with children’s furniture which was

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undesirable. There was also insufficient space for various activities, such as meetings and administrative work.

6.2.6 To provide a better environment for students as well as saving time for bed-making, some suggested that there should be a nap room in KGs if possible. To ensure children’s safety during admission and dismissal time, it would be desirable to have proper pick up area, such as parking facilities and waiting area for parents.

There were also calls for improving the environment of KGs in terms of cross ventilation, natural lighting penetration and high ceiling space.

6.2.7 While many of the proposed enhancements to KG accommodation and facilities would be long-term goals, some cautioned that in considering any major changes to the existing requirements or standards of accommodation, EDB should take into account the current situation of KG premises and the implications for them.

6.2.8 Some were concerned about the existing arrangement for allocation of KG premises by the Government. There were views that the premises allocated to KGs through the School Allocation Committee quite often could not meet their operational needs in terms of the design and facilities. For this reason, the SSBs or operators should be invited to state their premises requirements at an early stage so that the design/facilities could better suit their operational needs.

The Committee’s Recommendations

6.2.9 The Committee has taken into consideration the views of various stakeholders and members as well as the findings and proposals of the consultancy study on KG accommodation. In general, the Committee considers that the physical accommodation and facilities of KGs should be enhanced in order to provide a more conducive environment for children’s learning and development. In this regard, the operational needs of different types of KG (i.e. HD, WD and LWD) should also be considered.

6.2.10 While noting the scarcity of land in Hong Kong, the Committee recommends that as a long-term target, KGs should provide a more spacious environment for children’s physical activities and learning. While it would be desirable for KGs to

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provide an outdoor play area for the students, the Committee considers it advisable to increase the indoor floor area for each student. In this connection, the Committee proposes that the existing recommended standard of 1.8 sq. metres per student might be reviewed with reference to overseas practices and the specific circumstantial factors like the need for striking a balance between the genuine need for improvement to the premises and the keen competition for scarce land resources in the HK context. As a reference, the Committee proposes that the Government should initially aim to increase the indoor floor space for each student by about 20%.

6.2.11 The Committee also considers that KGs should be situated away from busy areas to minimise the effects of environmental pollution and should ensure that children would gain easy access to the KG premises safely.

6.2.12 It is noted that KGs offer diversified services and operate in different modes, and hence they have varied operational needs. The Committee is of the view that the future design of KG premises should be flexible where feasible, such as the use of sliding doors between classrooms, provision of multi-purpose rooms, allowing flexibility for conversion from HD to WD operation, etc. to meet the operational needs.

6.2.13 Noting that children should be given a more conducive learning environment, the Committee considers it favourable to have some core facilities which are essential to KG operation or student learning in the future design of KGs. In addition to standard size classrooms, adequate space or area should be available for core student learning activities such as music and art activities. For LWD and WD KGs, a kitchen should be available. Where feasible, it would be desirable to have a washing basin and storage space for students’ use in each classroom. To provide a better working environment for teachers, it would also be desirable to have a staff room in each typical KG.

6.2.14 For further enhancement, the Committee is of the view that for WD and LWD KGs, accommodation such as a laundry and additional storage area for beds would be desirable. In the long term, the feasibility of re-designing the toilet arrangement might be explored, e.g. in a decentralised manner to facilitate effective use by students and for hygiene purposes.

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6.2.15 In the light of the above proposed enhancement measures, the Committee considers that the Government should also review the requirements of KG premises stipulated in Operation Manual to suit contemporary needs, such as space for each student, teacher facilities and student facilities.

6.2.16 To help ensure that new school premises can better meet the operational needs of KGs, the Committee considers that the existing school allocation mechanism should be reviewed. In future, SSBs or operators should be allowed to get involved in the design of the KG premises at an early stage if they are allocated new KG premises.

6.2.17 Apart from the long-term improvement targets, the Committee proposes that in the interim, the Government might also explore means to assist KGs in upgrading the school premises and facilities to provide a more conducive learning environment for students. For example, KGs might consider adding sliding doors where appropriate to enable flexible use of space in KGs. The ventilation and lighting might also be improved by installing windows of proper size. Generally, given the disparities in their space and facilities, individual KGs may have different improvement needs in respect of their accommodation.

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