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(III) At the System level — Enhancing support and training
2.28 With the full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy, all teachers, including those in the basic rank, could have opportunities to take up more diverse professional duties and share responsibilities in school development. School leaders, including those at the middle management levels, will need to lead teams of teachers flexibly and professionally to cater to the needs of student learning and growth. The Task Force recommends that the EDB, teacher education universities and professional organizations provide multi-faceted programmes, such as programmes on middle leadership, induction, professional learning communities and school-based support etc., to strengthen the leadership roles of the middle management, equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies.
Recommendation 4: Enhancing the Arrangements of Training for
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domains of various work positions, and the specific contexts in the primary and secondary schools.
ii) The validity period of training undertaken by teachers should also be reviewed. For example, consideration could be given to shorten such validity period to, say, five years, as in the case under the CFP. This would help ensure that teachers receive up-to-date training that is aligned with the latest social development and education trends and meets the needs in the promotion posts.
iii) The EDB should provide specific guidelines for teachers and schools to ensure that teachers receive training relevant to the promotion posts and are adequately equipped with the necessary professional competencies required of them.
The Task Force recommends that COTAP could be requested to follow-up on the detailed formulation and implementation of the enhancement of training for promotion.
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Chapter 3
All-graduate Teaching Force
Current State of Play
3.1 Currently, there are two teaching grades in public sector primary and secondary schools: the graduate teacher grade and non-graduate teacher grade. It is Government’s long-term target to fully implement the all-graduate teaching force policy to attract talents to join the teaching profession. The ratio of graduate teacher posts in public sector primary schools was increased from 50% to 55% in the 2015/16 school year, to 60% in 2016/17, and then to 65% in 2017/18. In the public sector secondary schools, the ratio of graduate teacher posts has been increased to 85% as from the 2009/10 school year.
3.2 The timetable for an all-graduate teaching force is a matter of concern to the education sector. One of the Task Force’s Terms of Reference is to consider and recommend to the Government an appropriate and practicable timetable for the full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy.
Views of Stakeholders
3.3 There is a strong consensus and earnest appeal among the stakeholders in the sector for the all-graduate teaching force policy to be fully implemented as soon as possible. However, there are also concerns about whether the professional development of teachers and the readiness in schools could adequately support the pace of implementation. In secondary schools, the views are that they are ready for immediate full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force
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policy, given that most teachers have acquired degree qualifications. In primary schools, there are views that schools may need to rearrange duties of teachers upon the full implementation of the policy, as it is common practice that Assistant Primary School Masters/Mistresses (APSMs) and Certificated Masters/Mistresses (CMs) are assigned different duties in school. Some consider that implementation of the policy by phases in two to three years would allow sufficient time for schools to make necessary arrangements. However, there are also views that primary and secondary schools should adopt the same pace of implementation, but flexibility could be allowed for school-based circumstances.
3.4 Some stakeholders have also expressed concern about the current arrangements in primary schools where APSMs are assigned the roles of subject panel heads or leaders for various administrative duties due to limited manpower of senior teachers. There are views that the manpower at the middle management level in primary schools should be increased to take charge of these leadership roles and duties when the all-graduate teaching force policy is implemented.
The Task Force’s Deliberation and Recommendations
3.5 The Task Force has taken note that it is the Government’s target to have an all-graduate teaching force in Hong Kong. The Task Force acknowledges that full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy will help raise teachers’ professional status, retain and attract talents, and further enhance the quality of education. The Task Force agrees that, with the series of education reform initiatives implemented in primary and secondary schools in the past and society’s high expectations on the teaching profession, teaching posts in the primary and secondary schools should be taken up by teachers with degree qualifications. This
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will enhance the professional capacity of the teaching force, and they could better cope with the rapid changes in society and education development, as well as the changing needs in student learning and development. The Task Force agrees that the all-graduate teaching force policy should be fully implemented as soon as possible. The Task Force understands that schools might need time to prepare for implementation, but to different extent depending on circumstances in individual schools.
The Task Force considers that it will be more appropriate to allow schools some flexibility in the implementation having regard to their individual school-based circumstances.
3.6 The Task Force is of the view that schools should make use of the opportunity of full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy to review graduate teachers’ duties and responsibilities. Their professional duties should be enriched and they should be given exposure to a wider spectrum of professional duties, such as curriculum development, student assessment, guidance and discipline, student support, integrated education, etc. Graduate teachers should be encouraged to take on more proactive roles in pursuing professional growth and school development. Schools can build up the professional capacity of their teaching force by suitable arrangements of graduate teachers’ duties taking into account their experience and expertise.
3.7 The Task Force considers that the manpower at the middle management level in primary schools should be improved in tandem with the full implementation of the all-graduate teaching force policy, so that schools could plan their human resources holistically to support the effective coordination and execution of various education initiatives in schools (The Task Force’s consideration and recommendations in this respect are detailed in Chapter 4). The Task Force wishes to emphasize that while schools would benefit from a stronger middle management level, schools should provide basic rank teachers who possess experience
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and expertise with opportunities for exposure to different aspects of school duties. This would be a good human resource management practice that helps develop teachers’ potential and facilitates their professional growth.
3.8 As regards the timetable and arrangements for the full implementation of an all-graduate teaching force policy, the Task Force’s recommendations are set out below:
Recommendation 5: Full implementation of the all-graduate teaching