ALLOWANCES

A. Headship and Deputy Headship Allowances

(a) Responsibility Allowance for Heads and Deputy Heads of Primary Special Schools

(i) A responsibility allowance will be payable to heads of aided primary special schools at the rank of AM# at the rate of one increment above the substantive pay of the Heads;

Note: Heads on personal scales will not be eligible for the responsibility allowance.

(ii) A responsibility allowance will also be payable to AM who serve as deputy heads of aided primary special schools with 12 or more equivalent ordinary primary classes at a rate equivalent to 75% of one increment above the substantive pay of the deputy heads. The responsibility allowance should cease immediately upon the promotion/appointment of a teacher to the new SPSM rank for deputy heads. In any case, the responsibility allowance for deputy heads will cease with effect from the 2010/11 school year.

# No non-degree holders should be appointed as new primary special school heads. Serving heads at AM, SAM and PAM rank who are non-degree holders will be accommodated until natural wastage. (updated on 1 September 2008)

(b) Head’s Responsibility Allowance: Boarding Section (i) Prior to 1 September 2003

In recognition of the additional responsibility undertaken by the Head of a special school with an approved boarding section, the Supervisor may recommend that the Head should receive a special allowance equivalent to 15% of the mid-point of the salary scale for SSWA.

(ii) On or after 1 September 2003

The responsibility allowance will be payable to the Head of a special school with an approved boarding section on condition that he/she should not be paid other job-related allowance. The allowance should be equivalent to 15% of the mid-point of the salary scale for SSWA.

B. Boarding Staff’s Responsibility Allowance

(a) A responsibility allowance will be payable to assistant wardens at SWA rank of aided special schools at the rate of 2 increments above their substantive pay.

(b) A responsibility allowance will be payable to houseparents-in-charge at SWA rank of aided special schools at the rate of 2 increments above their substantive pay.

C. Special Education Allowance (i) Prior to 1 September 2003

(a) A special education allowance (SEA) may be awarded to staff in the ranks of CM/AM/SAM/PAM / GM/SGM/PGM / Pr II/Pr I / APSM/PSM/

HM II/HM I, while serving in such capacity in a special school, who have successfully completed a recognized course of training in special education run by the Hong Kong Institute of Education, or a course recognized by the Permanent Secretary as an equivalent. The allowance will be at a rate equivalent to 2 increments next on the Master Pay Scale above the level of their substantive pay.

(b) For Heads of aided special schools holding a Pr I post, their substantive salary plus SEA should not exceed the top of the Master Pay Scale, that is, Master Pay Scale Point 49.

(c) Staff in the above ranks appointed as temporary replacements will be eligible for the SEA if they have completed special education training recognized by the Permanent Secretary.

(d) Part-time staff in the above ranks will be eligible for the SEA on a pro-rata basis if they have completed special education training recognized by the Permanent Secretary.

(ii) On or after 1 September 2003

The SEA will cease to be payable to new recruits and existing teaching staff who have not yet commenced their recognized special education training in the 2002/03 school year. As for the existing teaching staff of special schools, who are in receipt of the SEA or pursuing their studies in recognized special education courses, the following arrangements will apply:

(a) Teaching staff of special schools, including Pr I, who are in receipt of the SEA will retain an SEA of one salary point above their substantive salary, provided that the sum of their substantive salary and the SEA should not exceed their maximum pay point on their respective pay scale regardless of their existing pay point, except in the circumstances specified in sub-paragraph (b) below.

(b) Teaching staff of special schools who have already reached the maximum pay point in the 2002/03 school year will be allowed to retain an SEA of one salary point above the maximum pay point.

(c) Teaching staff of special schools who are pursuing their studies in recognized special education courses in the 2002/03 school year are, in principle, allowed to be paid an SEA of one salary point above their substantive salary with effect from September of the following school year on successful completion of the recognized special education courses, provided that they remain as teaching staff of special schools.

However, the sum of their substantive salaries and the SEA should not exceed their maximum pay point on their respective pay scales.

(d) Teaching staff of special schools who are in receipt of other responsibility allowance are not allowed to retain the SEA.

(e) The above arrangements will also be applicable to the existing teaching staff of special education on transfer to another aided special school without a break of service, provided that the posts they fill

(i) have been created in the 2002/03 school year; or

(ii) are created after the 2002/03 school year due to expansion of classes or with explicit permission of the Education Bureau for the post-holders to retain their SEA.

Teaching staff of special education refers to teachers of special classes, intensive remedial teaching programmes, integrated education programmes, aided special schools, practical schools and skills opportunity schools.

D. Acting Allowance (updated on 1 September 2008)

A full-time PGM/SGM/GM of the secondary section and HM II, SPSM, PSM or APSM of the primary section of the school who has been recommended and approved to take up the functional duties of a higher office in the rank of Pr I/Pr II/PGM/SGM/ HM I/ HM II/SPSM or PSM as appropriate on an acting basis for a qualifying period of not less than 30 calendar days will be entitled to draw an acting allowance for the period concerned as follows:

(updated on 1 September 2019)

(a) In the case of acting-up with replacement (this involves acting in a functional post which carries a higher maximum salary point than that of the teacher’s substantive rank) - 90% of the difference between the teacher’s substantive salary and the minimum salary of the higher rank in which he is acting; or at a rate equivalent to 90% of the increment next on the rank-scale of the acting post above the level of the teacher’s substantive salary if it is the same or more than the minimum salary of the acting post. The rate will be revised to 100% of the difference after the first 180 calendar days of acting. (Note 11) (updated on 1 November 2012)

(b) In the case of doubling-up without replacement provided (this involves acting in a headship post which carries a higher maximum salary point than that of the teacher’s substantive rank in addition to undertaking his own duties) - 23% of the minimum salary of the higher rank or 100% of the difference in pay between the teacher’s substantive salary and the minimum salary of the higher rank in which he/she is acting, whichever is the more.

(Note 11) (updated on 1 November 2012)

Note: 1. A full-time AM in the primary section of the school who has been recommended and approved to take up the functional duties of SPSM will be entitled to draw an acting allowance as mentioned above.

(updated on 1 September 2019)

2. With the full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy from the 2019/20 school year, the promotion mechanism for the non-graduate grade will cease to operate. In other words, no CM, AM or SAM could be approved to acting up a promotion post in the non-graduate grade through promotion/selection exercise starting from 2019/20 school year. (updated on 1 September 2019)

3. The minimum 30-calendar-day qualifying period shall include intervening Sundays and public holidays, and Sundays and public holidays immediately preceding and following the acting period.

However, Sundays and public holidays immediately preceding and following the acting period will not be included in calculating the acting allowance.

4. School holidays can be counted as qualifying period and attract acting allowances provided that the teachers concerned are required to perform duties of the acting posts during the holidays. Such qualifying period should be recognized and properly recorded by school.

5. The qualifying period may include up to a maximum of 3 consecutive days’ leave or absence in total (excluding sick leave and absences for authorized training and duty) taken during the acting period. Leave and absences in excess of 3 days will not be counted as part of the qualifying period.

6. Leave exceeding 3 consecutive working days involves the forfeiture of acting allowance for the whole period of the acting staff’s leave (i.e.

leave and intervening public holidays and Sundays). (updated on 1 November 2012)

7. When a teacher acts in different ranks consecutively, each acting appointment should be counted individually and separately and cannot be aggregated for the purpose of meeting the minimum qualifying period for acting allowances.

8. A teacher shall only draw one acting allowance at any one time and schools should not make concurrent multiple acting appointments.

9. Acting appointments can be made on operational grounds even if no acting allowance is payable.

10. Acting allowances will be treated as salary for provident fund purposes.

11. The rate of acting allowance takes effect on 1 September 2004.

Appendix 4

Qualifications Required for Grades of Appointments in Aided Special Schools