Children First Right Start for All
Report of the
Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
May 2015
Report of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
Table of Contents
Pages Executive Summary
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Composition and Terms of Reference of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education and its Sub-committees
1.3 Guiding Principles Adopted by the Committee
1.4 Consultation and Public Engagement Activities
Chapter 2 Overview of Kindergarten Education 6
2.1 International Perspective 2.2 The Local Context
(a) Major Milestones in Kindergarten Education
(b) The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme
Chapter 3 Proposed Framework of Kindergarten Education in Hong Kong
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3.1 Vision, Mission, Objectives and Principles of Kindergarten Education
Chapter 4 Teacher Professionalism 27
4.1 Teacher Qualification and Professional Development
4.2 Certification for Kindergarten Principalship
Chapter 5 Staffing Requirements 36 5.1 Teaching Staff
5.2 Supporting Staff
Chapter 6 School Premises and Accommodation 44
6.1 Existing and Long-term Provision of Kindergarten Premises
6.2 Accommodation and Facilities
Chapter 7 Funding Arrangement 52
7.1 Scope of Free Kindergarten Education 7.2 Mode of Funding
7.3 Subsidy for Basic Operational Expenses of Kindergartens
(a) Subsidy for Staff Salary-related and Other Operating Expenses
(b) Subsidy for Premises-related Expenses 7.4 Additional Subsidy for Whole-day/“Long
Whole-day” Kindergartens
Chapter 8 Catering for Student Diversity 77
8.1 Additional Support for Kindergarten Students from Needy Families
8.2 Additional Support for Non-Chinese Speaking Students in Kindergartens
8.3 Additional Support for Kindergarten Students with Special Needs
Chapter 9 School Governance, Accountability and Quality Assurance
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9.1 Transparency and Accountability in School Operation
9.2 Governance Structure of Kindergartens 9.3 Quality Assurance
Chapter 10 Parents’ Involvement and Education 98
10.1 The Role of Parents in Promoting Children’s Learning and Development
Chapter 11 Other Important Factors Conducive to Quality Education
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11.1 Transition from Kindergarten to Primary School
11.2 Strategies for Local Research on Kindergarten Education
11.3 Kindergarten Admission Arrangements
Chapter 12 Implementation 113
Appendices
1 Membership and Terms of Reference of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
2 Membership and Terms of Reference of the Five Sub-committees under the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
3 Follow-up Action on Short-term Measures Proposed by the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
4 List of Consultation and Engagement Activities conducted by the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education
Annex
Meetings with Various Stakeholders, Concern Groups and Political Parties
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND
Kindergarten (KG) education is important in developing the physical, social, emotional and aesthetic aspects of a child as well as his/her language and cognitive skills in early part of life. It lays vital foundation for balanced development and learning in future. As an affluent and advanced city, Hong Kong must ensure that our children can access quality KG education irrespective of the family’s financial means. The current Government has set as one of its policy priorities to extend the current 12-year free education to 15 years to cover KG education, and to further improve the quality of KG education in tandem.
2. KGs in Hong Kong have all along been operated by private operators in accordance with rules and regulations set by the Education Bureau (EDB). The sector has been characterized by a high level of flexibility in operation, diversity, vibrancy as well as timely responsiveness to service needs. While there are varied views and expectations on the future policy on KG education, there is a consensus in the KG sector that the formulation of any new policy must not upset the strength and merits of the existing vibrant and diversified system. The Committee on Free Kindergarten Education (the Committee) was set up in April 2013, under which five Sub-committees were formed, to examine various related issues with a view to making proposals on how to implement quality KG education free in a practicable and sustainable manner.
DELIBERATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
3. The proposals cover the following main aspects –
(a) Vision, mission and objectives of KG education
(b) Scope of free KG education (including the provision of whole-day services)
(c) Enhancement to the quality of KG education, in terms of teacher professionalism, staffing, accommodation, governance and quality assurance
(d) Developing an attractive career for the teaching profession (e) Funding arrangement
(f) Catering for Student Diversity (g) Provision of premises
(h) Parents’ involvement and education
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(i) Other important factors conducive to quality education (j) Implementation
4. Major recommendations are highlighted below.
(a) Vision, mission and objectives of KG education
4.1 Vision: “Children First: Right Start for All”
4.2 Mission: To provide for a sustainable policy that respects the uniqueness of KG education in Hong Kong as well as the diverse needs of children, and to provide for equitable access to quality holistic KG education that promotes lifelong development of a person.
4.3 Objectives: To lay the foundation of lifelong learning by fostering in children an inquisitive mind, an interest in learning and exploration, a balanced development, a healthy self-concept, the ability and confidence to adapt to the ever-changing world and getting them ready for school.
(b) Scope of Free KG Education
4.4 The Government subsidy should cover half-day (HD) service as the basic provision for all eligible children aged three to six. Additional resource support should be provided for KGs offering whole-day (WD) and long WD (LWD) services.
4.5 On eligibility of KGs to be covered by the future quality KG education policy, the Committee proposes that whilst all KGs are eligible and welcomed to join the policy, such KGs should, among other criteria, be non-profit-making (NPM), offering a local curriculum that conforms with the KG curriculum guidelines published by EDB and having proven track records on providing quality KG education. This is in line with the existing practice and policy of the Government.
4.6 The Government subsidy should fund KG education at a level which enables KGs to provide quality education. The basic provision should cover school fees related to the expenses directly attributable to students’ learning and school operation. Other charges such as expenses arising from rental exceeding government subsidies, if any, and above-standard services should be borne by parents. Needy families may apply for financial assistance.
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(c) Enhancement to the Quality of KG Education
Teacher Professionalism
4.7 The Committee recommends that the Government should aim at raising the entry qualification requirement of KG teachers to degree level. The Government should also study the issue of setting a graduate teacher ratio for each KG when it reviews the future KG education policy after implementation.
Meanwhile, more support should be provided for KG teachers to upgrade their qualification.
4.8 A continuous professional development (CPD) policy with appropriate targets could be developed based on a Teacher Competencies Framework (TCF) and a Principal Competencies Framework (PCF). The Certification Course for KG Principals should also be enhanced. Various professional development opportunities should be provided and additional resources should be made available to create capacity for teachers to pursue professional development.
Staffing
4.9 The existing threshold teacher-pupil (TP) ratio is 1:15. It is proposed to increase the teaching staff of KGs to bring about an improved TP ratio of no worse than 1:12. It will provide more capacity for teachers for curriculum development and lesson preparation, catering for the diverse needs of the children and professional development. Individual KGs may continue to have the discretion to appoint / deploy sufficient number of teachers to meet their operational needs.
4.10 There should be at least one clerk for each KG, and two clerks for the large KGs with more than 300 HD students. As regards janitor staff, the recommended ratio is one janitor staff for about 50-60 HD students. For LWD and WD KGs with a kitchen, a cook will be required, though for KGs of very small size, KGs may consider employing a part-time cook. For other supporting staff such as teaching assistants, the provision of a recurrent grant to KGs would more effectively address the school needs.
Accommodation
4.11 As a long-term target, a more spacious environment should be provided in KGs for children’s physical activities and learning, and where applicable, it would be desirable for KGs to have some outdoor space.
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4.12 It is proposed that the Government should initially aim to increase the indoor floor space for each student by about 20%.
4.13 As a medium-term measure, the Committee recommends that the Government may explore the feasibility of setting up resource centres for use by KGs to provide a safe education environment and a variety of activity-based learning activities for children.
Governance
4.14 KGs should enhance their administration, management and accountability under an effective governance framework with transparency, well-defined roles and responsibilities. In the medium or long-term, each KG should have a management committee with preferably five or more managers comprising representatives from the school management, school sponsoring body, teachers, parents, and independent or professional members in the medium or long-term.
4.15 To ensure that KGs have well-established mechanism in handling various administrative matters such as school finance and budgeting, procurement, trading operation, staffing and appointment matters, remuneration package, student admission, use of funds, surplus and reserves, etc., comprehensive administrative guidelines and operation manual under the future KG education policy would need to be drawn up for compliance of eligible KGs.
4.16 The existing quality assurance framework should be enhanced, including involving an external independent member in the Quality Review (QR) inspection team as an external observer and updating the Performance Indictors which form the basis for school self-evaluation and external review.
The Committee considers it appropriate to continue to make the QR reports available on the websites for public information. KGs should be given opportunity to publicize their response to the QR reports and the follow-up actions taken in those areas requiring improvement.
(d) Developing an Attractive Career for the Teaching Profession
4.17 To retain and attract quality teachers and maintain a stable teaching force for providing quality KG education, KGs should offer a career ladder and competitive remuneration for their teachers. In this regard, the Committee recommends that the KG teaching staff structure in general should comprise a principal, a vice-principal (for large scale KGs), senior teachers and class teachers.
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4.18 Schools should be given discretion to appoint teachers of different ranks commensurate with their scale of operation. As a general guide, KGs with about 600 HD students may have up to five senior teachers while very small scale KGs (say, one teacher for each level) may not have any senior teachers.
A vice-principal may be needed for KGs with an enrolment of more than 300 HD students.
4.19 While KGs should have the discretion to appoint or promote suitable teachers with either C(ECE) or degree qualifications to the senior teacher post, priority may be given to those who possess degree qualifications. As for vice-principals, they should be degree-holders.
(e) Funding Arrangement
Mode of Funding
4.20 The existing mode of funding adopted by aided schools or under the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme is not fully applicable to KGs under the future KG education policy. The Committee recommends that a more flexible funding mode be adopted under the new policy, whereby funding for individual KGs would be provided partly on a per student basis (i.e. unit cost approach) and partly on a school-specific basis to cater for the special circumstances of the KGs or the students.
4.21 Funding for teaching staff salary, supporting staff salary and other operating expenses would be provided for KGs in the form of a unit subsidy, i.e. on a per student basis. Additional funding will be provided to cater for the specific needs of individual KGs, including rental subsidy, additional subsidy for major repair, additional resources for WD and LWD KGs, grant for KGs admitting a cluster of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students (say, eight or more), etc.
Staff Salary
4.22 It is necessary to set a salary range for each position for reference of KGs.
This would provide useful reference for KGs to set reasonable salary for their staff on the one hand, and allow flexibility for them to appoint suitable staff to meet their specific operational needs on the other.
4.23 On the salary ranges for KG staff, having regard to the recommendations of the consultant, the Committee proposes the following reference salary ranges and recommends that a mechanism to enable adjustment of the pay levels should be in place.
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Teaching Staff Proposed Salary Range (2014 price level)
Class Teacher $18,000 – $32,000
Senior Teacher $24,000 – $38,000
Vice Principal (for large scale KGs)
$30,000 – $42,000
Principal II $34,000 – $47,000
Principal I $40,000 – $53,000
Supporting Staff Proposed Salary Range (2014 price level)
Clerk $10,000 – $18,000
Janitor $10,000 – $13,000
Cook $12,000 – $14,000
Note: For very small scale KGs, the rank of Principal will be comparable to Vice Principal.
4.24 Control on the use of Government funding by KGs needs to be stepped up to make sure that they utilize their resources properly in teacher remuneration.
For example, a certain proportion of the Government funding should be designated for teaching staff salary expenses.
4.25 The staff salary-related subsidies might be referenced on the mid-point of the respective salary ranges of the staff. Given the concerns of the sector on the mid-point approach, the Government should consider providing a safety net under which KGs may apply for additional funds on a case-by-case basis to meet expenditure on salaries of long service staff.
Other Operating Expenses
4.26 For KGs to meet their other operating expenses, the expenditure items currently accepted for fee revision purposes should generally continue to be accepted for subsidy under the future funding arrangements. Additional items for school development or staff training should also be considered as appropriate. The subsidy for other operating expenses might be determined with reference to past expenditure patterns of KGs.
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Premises-related support for KGs
4.27 Rental subsidy should be provided in the form of a school-specific grant for all eligible KGs to lessen the KGs’ rental-related financial burden. The rental subsidy should be subject to a ceiling and fill-up rate to ensure proper use of public funds. The ceiling may be set with reference to the rentals of comparable KGs operating in premises situated in public housing estates, which are relatively less market-driven. KGs under the future KG education policy which are receiving rental subsidy less than their actual rental payment shall be allowed to charge a fee to be approved by EDB to cover the difference.
4.28 The Government should consider providing subsidy for eligible KGs operating in self-owned school premises or premises owned by their school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) with zero/nominal rent to alleviate the financial burdens arising from major repair.
Support for WD and LWD services
4.29 With a view to providing more support for working parents to tie in with the population policy which aims to unleash the potential of the local labour force, incentives should be provided to encourage KGs to offer more WD or LWD services.
4.30 It is proposed that additional grant be provided for KGs for the provision of WD places, thus enabling those parents in need of such services to have access to them and at a more affordable cost. The amount of grant may be 25% to 30%
of the half-day unit subsidy.
4.31 For LWD KGs, further additional resources on top of the WD subsidy are also considered necessary to cater for the longer hours and more school days they operate. The amount of grant should enable the KG to employ one to three headcounts, depending on the size of the KG.
(f) Catering for Student Diversity
KG Students from Needy Families
4.32 To ensure that no child will be deprived of the access to KG education due to a lack of financial means, fee remission should continue to be provided under the existing Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme.
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4.33 The Government should provide a grant for supporting needy families to pay for the expenditure incurred from the learning or schooling of the students, such as for purchase of books and school uniforms, etc.
Non-Chinese speaking (NCS) Students in KGs
4.34 A grant comparable to the salary of one teacher should be provided for KGs admitting a cluster of NCS students (say, eight or more) to enable them to enhance the support for NCS students. Besides, professional support should be further enhanced.
KG Students with Special Needs
4.35 Further enhancement measures should be considered to improve the services for KG children with special needs through the collaborative efforts of various Government departments. The Committee recommends that the Government should set up a cross-Bureau/Department platform with Government representatives and involving various stakeholders to give advice on the development of initiatives to cater for KG children with special needs.
4.36 The Committee recommends that the waiting time for assessment should be further shortened. As for rehabilitation services for pre-school children, the Committee proposes that in addition to increasing the number of places, the service mode should be enhanced in order that support could be provided for the students in need, their parents/carers as well as the KGs where they are studying.
4.37 The Committee also proposes that with a view to enhancing teachers’ capacity to cater for students’ diverse learning needs, more structured in-service training programme(s) should be offered for KG teachers.
(g) Provision of Premises
4.38 The current planning standards for provision of KG places should be reviewed to increase the provision, particularly WD places. Having regard to the supply and demand of KG places, the Government should consider revising the planning standards progressively to 500 WD and 500 HD places for every 1 000 children aged between three to six.
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4.39 To ensure a stable supply of quality KG premises, the Government should introduce measures to increase government-owned KG premises in public housing estates and private housing estates in the long run. The feasibility of providing incentives for SSBs and KG operators to acquire their school premises and co-location of KGs and primary schools should also be explored.
4.40 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.
(h) Parents’ Involvement and Education
4.41 Parents play a very important role in their child’s early life and are the children’s role model. The Committee considers that parents’ involvement in the learning of their children should be promoted. Parent education to help them understand the role of parents and development needs of their children should also be enhanced.
(i) Other Important Factors Conducive to Quality Education
Transition from KG to Primary School
4.42 A transition policy should be in place at both KG and primary school levels so as to provide support systematically. Clear but non-prescriptive learning outcomes for KG graduates could be formulated. More elaboration on the issue of transition should also be developed in the revision of the Curriculum Guide to be completed by 2016 as planned.
Strategies for Local Research on KG Education
4.43 To keep the sector well-informed of the latest trends in child development and to examine the impact of the new policy on the quality of KG education services, the Committee considers that more researches on these aspects should be encouraged.
KG Admission Arrangements
4.44 KG student admission should remain a school-based matter. The K1 admission arrangements in the 2015/16 school year should continue to be adopted for future student admission, and be refined as appropriate in the light of experience gained.
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4.45 Regarding the admission of pre-nursery (PN) class students to K1, the Government may further study the issue of requiring KG-cum-CCCs to set aside K1 places required for application from non-PN class students.
(j) Implementation
4.46 Government should consult the relevant stakeholders in the formulation of the future KG education policy. The Committee recommends the appointment by the Government of a Steering Committee consisting of representatives of relevant stakeholders, relevant Government departments as well as professionals in overseeing the implementation of the future KG education policy.
4.47 In the long run, Government may consider setting up an independent commission comprising representatives of the relevant Government departments, stakeholder groups and professionals to co-ordinate services for pre-school children.
5. The Committee wishes that, when the above package of recommendations is implemented, about 60% of students attending local NPM KG would not need to pay school fee.
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Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
1.1.1 One of the priorities of the current term Government is to extend the present 12 years of free education to 15 years so as to cover kindergarten (KG) education and to further improve the quality of KG education in tandem. It is widely recognised that KG education has profound impact on lifelong learning and development of a person. No one should therefore be deprived of KG education because of lack of family’s financial means.
1.1.2 In Hong Kong, nine years’ free, compulsory and universal basic education (primary and junior secondary) in public sector schools has been implemented since 1978. Starting from the 2008/09 school year, free education has been extended to 12 years covering senior secondary levels. KG education, which refers to the 3-year KG programme for children aged three to six before primary education, is neither part of the free nor compulsory education. That notwithstanding, the participation rate is over 100%, meaning that virtually all parents enrol their children in KG programme.
For the purpose of this report, KGs shall be taken to cover both KGs and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres (KG-cum-CCCs) except otherwise specified.
1.1.3 In an effort to provide affordable and quality KG education to all eligible children, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (the Government) introduced the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) in the 2007/08 school year. PEVS provides a non-means-tested direct fee subsidy for eligible children attending eligible local non-profit-making (NPM) KGs. The objective of PEVS is to increase the Government’s investment in pre-primary education so as to alleviate the financial burden on eligible parents, upgrade the professional qualifications of KG principals and teachers, and improve the quality of KG education.
1.1.4 The Committee on Free KG Education (the Committee) was set up in April 2013 to examine the various related issues and recommend sustainable and practicable proposals on how to extend the free education policy to cover quality KG education. To embrace and study such issues, five Sub-committees were also formed under the Committee as follows:
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(a) Sub-committee on Objectives, Teacher Professionalism and Research (b) Sub-committee on Operation and Governance
(c) Sub-committee on Funding Modes
(d) Sub-committee on Catering for Student Diversity (e) Sub-committee on Communication Strategy
1.2 Composition and Terms of Reference of the Committee on Free KG Education and its Sub-committees
1.2.1 The Committee comprises 21 members including the Chairman, the Vice-chairman, representatives from the KG sector, school sponsoring bodies, teacher education institutions, primary school principals, parents and the Education Commission, as well as members from other professions and representatives from the Education Bureau (EDB). The membership and terms of reference of the Committee are at Appendix 1.
1.2.2 The Sub-committees studied in detail specific areas relating to quality KG education, including the objectives and scope of quality KG education and teacher professionalism, funding modes, the demand for and different needs of whole-day (WD) services, the planning and space allocation of KG, rental subsidy, the supply, qualification and remuneration framework of the teaching profession, teacher-to-pupil ratio, monitoring, governance and quality assurance framework, catering for student diversity, home-school cooperation, and public engagement strategies, etc. The membership and the terms of reference of the five Sub-committees are set out in Appendix 2.
1.3 Guiding Principles Adopted by the Committee
1.3.1 Given the huge diversity among and accommodating the current modus operandi of KGs in Hong Kong, the different views and expectations of stakeholders, as well as the intricacies of the issues involved and the far-reaching implications of the future free KG education policy, the Committee takes a prudent and evidence-based approach in considering how to develop such policy so that the KG
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sector’s flexibility and diversity of services would be preserved. The Committee has made reference to the following principles to guide its deliberation and formulation of recommendations:
(i) while KG education should not be compulsory, no child aged between three to six should be deprived of KG education due to the lack of financial means;
(ii) quality of KG education is the prime concern;
(iii) the policy must be practicable and sustainable;
(iv) the uniqueness, vibrancy and diversity of KG education must be respected and the diverse needs of the children should be catered for through different modes of operation; and
(v) Government funding should be accompanied by good governance on the part of KGs leading to consistent improvement in quality in education.
1.3.2 Apart from reviewing existing policy initiatives on KG education in Hong Kong, the Committee has made reference to overseas experience and practices, and studied if the recommended best practices in KG education internationally could be applicable in the Hong Kong context. For this purpose, overseas visits were made to Korea, Singapore and Melbourne in mid-2013 to explore their latest KG education development. In addition, an international forum was held in late October 2013 to facilitate professional exchange among local and overseas experts and professionals on KG education.
1.3.3 Before submitting its report in 2015 to the Government proposing the long-term policy on KG education, the Committee submitted a progress report to EDB in December 2013 and proposed some short-term support measures in five aspects to address the sector’s imminent needs. They included providing additional subsidy for KGs and parents, enhancing the training for KG principals and teachers, improving KG admission arrangements and enhancing parent education. The Government had accepted the short-term measures proposed by the Committee and followed up accordingly. EDB’s follow-up action on the short-term measures is summarised at Appendix 3.
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1.3.4 Three consultancy studies were commissioned to examine specifically the human resources requirements and remuneration, accommodation and rental issues of KGs with a view to collecting more comprehensive information and making recommendations for consideration of the Committee. The Committee has given due consideration to the findings and proposals from the consultancy studies in formulating the recommendations for the consideration of the Administration.
1.4 Consultation and Public Engagement Activities
1.4.1 The Committee is fully aware of the importance of understanding the need and views of the KG sector, the parents, members of the Legislative Council, political parties and interested organisations as well as the community at large in formulating practicable recommendations for implementation of the future free KG education policy. Hence, apart from involving representatives from different sectors in the establishment of the Committee and Sub-committees, five focus groups were formed with various stakeholders, including school sponsoring bodies, KG principals, KG teachers, parents, and teacher education institutions1. Each focus group comprised representatives of a good mix of different types of KGs. Two rounds of focus group meetings were conducted between October and December 2013 as well as between September and October 2014 respectively.
1 The respective focus groups comprised:
i. School Sponsoring Bodies (SSBs): 15 Members with representatives from SSBs of different scale of operation (defined by the number of KGs operating under the SSB).
ii. KG Principals: 22 Members with 1-2 principal representatives from KGs of different districts.
Different types of KGs, including KGs joining and not joining the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS), non-profit- making (NPM) and private independent (PI) KGs, KGs and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres (KG-cum-CCCs), were represented. The KGs involved did not overlap with those represented in the teachers and parents focus groups.
iii. KG Teachers: 22 Members with 1-2 teacher representatives from KGs of different districts. Different types of KGs, including PEVS and non-PEVS KGs, NPM and PI KGs, KGs and KG-cum-CCCs, were represented. The KGs involved did not overlap with those represented in the principals and parents focus groups.
iv. Parents: 27 Members with 1-2 parent representatives nominated by KGs with parent-teacher associations (PTAs) from each district. Different types of KGs, including PEVS and non-PEVS KGs, NPM and PI KGs, KGs and KG-cum-CCCs, were represented. The KGs involved did not overlap with those represented in the principals and teachers focus groups.
v. Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs): 12 Members with 2 representatives from each TEI offering teacher training courses on early childhood education.
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1.4.2 Also, the Chairman, Vice-chairman of the Committee and the Convenors of the Sub-committees have met with school heads associations in different districts, various political parties, Federations of Parent-Teacher Associations and different concern groups to listen to their views. In the past two years, over 40 meetings have been held with various stakeholders, concern groups and political parties. A list of consultation and public engagement activities conducted by the Committee is at Appendix 4.
1.4.3 A webpage on EDB website has been set up, through which relevant information on the Committee was released to the public from time to time. A designated email account has also been set up for the public to send their views and opinions directly to the Committee via an earmarked email address.
1.4.4 For the purpose of engaging the public, the Committee has issued press releases, conducted media briefing sessions and submitted reports to the Legislative Council from time to time. Moreover, two video clips were produced in August/September 2014 to inform the public on the progress of work of the Committee. Another series of video clips were produced in April 2015 to promote quality KG education. These video clips were released through the various public channels, including bus TV-system, Maternal and Child Health Centres, Student Health Services Centres, Special Assessment Centres and School Dental Clinics under the Department of Health, online advertising platforms, etc. All the press releases, reports and videos are available for public access on the above-mentioned designated webpage on EDB website.
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Chapter 2 Overview of Kindergarten Education 2.1 International Perspective
2.1.1 KG education is an important stage which lays the foundation for lifelong learning and whole person development, and serves as the starting point of formal education. In different countries, a variety of terms are also used for describing the services for young children, including Early Childhood Care and Education, Early Childhood Development, and Early Childhood Care and Development. The term of KG Education is used to refer to services provided to children ranging in age from three to six years in Hong Kong, but the term of Early Childhood Education (ECE) is also used interchangeably.
2.1.2 Compelling reasons for investment in the early years of a child’s development emanate from three interrelated strands of research. Firstly, studies on early brain development have shown that the brain develops most rapidly in the first years of life, and that it is positively affected by environmental stimulation.
Secondly, research has also drawn attention to the better economic returns of government investment in early childhood compared to adulthood. Thirdly, programme evaluation research has also indicated that ECE promotes child development and school readiness all over the world. Hence, governments all over the world have increased investment in ECE, though they may differ in the rationale and the priorities they set for children and families and in the services they provide.
Their policy objectives can be driven by educational, economic and social agendas such as establishing ECE as getting the child ready for school education, supporting parents, encouraging women’s participation in the labour market, supporting disadvantaged families, etc. In general, all countries are making great efforts in promoting quality ECE and ensuring that it is accessible to all young children.
Accessibility to ECE and Overseas Practices
2.1.3 To ensure that ECE is accessible to all children regardless of their family background and financial status etc., some countries enact legislation to safeguard the rights of children, others offer support for parents and disadvantaged families, while some provide subsidised ECE places for all children whose parents request
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them. In terms of subsidised ECE services, the practices vary across countries.
Governments may set up public ECE institutions, or provide subsidies to ECE service providers or directly to parents. For needy families, there are often fee reductions, exemptions, tax relief, allowances or vouchers to reduce or offset the costs.
2.1.4 The weekly duration of subsidised ECE services differs across countries. For example, children over three in England are entitled to 15 hours free ECE services a week for 38 weeks of the year. Those in Wales and North Ireland are entitled to 12.5 hours free ECE services a week for 38 weeks of the year. Those in Scotland are entitled to 475 hours free ECE a year, which is normally delivered as a daily two and a half-hour session during the school term. In Finland, the government provides free pre-school classes to all six-year-old children which are conducted in half-day mode for around 4 hours a day. Similarly, in Sweden, the government offers all children at six a place in pre-school classes which comprise a minimum of 525 hours per year free. In Victoria, Australia, 15 hours of subsidised ECE services per week is provided for children during the year before compulsory education, usually at the age of four or five. In Korea, children aged three to five, who attend ECE programmes that implement Nuri Curriculum, are entitled to subsidised ECE services for three to five hours per day. In Taiwan, the government provides fixed amount of subsidy for parents to defray school fees, regardless of the duration of the ECE programmes the children attend. Parents need to pay extra if they require longer hours of services.
2.1.5 It should be noted that even for countries which claim to provide free ECE service, there is a limit to the number of hours a week for such provision. Also, government subsidies seldom cover all ECE expenditure for children aged three to six.
Parent contributions are expected. In most European countries, an average of approximately 14.4% of the total ECE expenditure comes from parents2, though there are often fee reductions, exemptions, tax relief, allowances or vouchers to reduce or offset the costs for needy families.
2 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Eurostat, 2014. Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe. 2014 Edition. Eurydice and Eurostat Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
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Half-day (HD) or Whole-day (WD) KG Services?
2.1.6 An important factor all governments have to take into account in formulating subsidised ECE policies is the impact of the duration of ECE programmes on the developmental and academic outcomes of children. A number of studies have been carried out in different parts of the world in this respect, yet the findings are not conclusive. The general view is that the quality of the learning programmes (whether on a WD or HD basis) and the teachers are the determining and critical success factors.
2.1.7 Various researches reveal that the potential positive outcomes of WD programmes include enhancing literacy and cognitive outcomes and academic achievement, improving students’ social and emotional skills, and allowing a balance between child-initiated and process-oriented activities3. A study reveals that despite the potential positive impacts of WD programmes, they have drawbacks which include unreasonably high expectations towards children, early implementation of primary school curriculum in KG level, fatigue and separation anxiety in children, less time for informal interaction with others in a more relaxed and unstructured setting, decreased parental involvement, etc. Besides, the potential benefits of WD programmes appear to fade over time, and eventually disappear by the end of third grade4. It is also worth noting that comparatively, children who attend WD programmes spend relatively little time in a home setting5.
2.1.8 Home, specifically parental involvement, has been found to be significant to the child’s development. Home provides a rich source of love, intimate interaction and emotional support as the child builds strong bonds and attachments with the parents and other family members. The sense of security and bond thus generated
3 For example, Brownell, M.D., Nickel, N.C., Chateau, D., Martens, P.J., Taylor, C., Crockett, L., Katz, A., Sarkar, J., Burland, E. & C.Y. Gohand the PATHS Equity Team. (2015). Long-term benefits of full-day kindergarten: a longitudinal population-based study, Early Child Development and Care, 185:2, 291-316; Cannon, J.S., Jacknowitz, A. & Painter, G. (2006). Is full better than half? Examining the longitudinal effects of full-day kindergarten attendance. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 25(2): 299-321.
4 Brownell, M.D., Nickel, N.C., Chateau, D., Martens, P.J., Taylor, C., Crockett, L., Katz, A., Sarkar, J., Burland, E. &
C.Y. Gohand the PATHS Equity Team. (2015). Long-term benefits of full-day kindergarten: a longitudinal population-based study, Early Child Development and Care, 185:2, 291-316.
5 Votruba-Drzal, E., Li-Grining, C.P. & Maldonado-Carreno, C. (2008). A developmental perspective on full-versus part-day kindergarten and children’s academic trajectories through fifth grade. Child Development, 79(4): 957-978.
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is of paramount importance to the psychological growth of children. Family education will also enable children to make connection with what they have learnt at school in the real life setting, and provide a venue for them to apply knowledge outside the school context. Some scholars consider that the roles of parents and family are far more important and influential to children’s lives than that of a teacher6. As indicated in some longitudinal studies, what parents do with their children (e.g., reading with the child, singing songs and chanting nursery rhymes, painting and drawing, visiting libraries and places, etc.) is crucial, even more important than who they are (e.g., parental occupation, education or income), in eliciting positive effects on their children’s development7. Compared to WD programmes, HD programmes allow relatively more time for young children to play and interact with their family in a less-structured but more relaxing setting. The benefits home can bring to child development are irreplaceable by a school setting.
2.1.9 While WD programmes do not necessarily benefit young children more than HD programmes do, one of the aforementioned longitudinal studies suggests that it is the quality of the programmes, instead of the ECE hours, that determines whether children can benefit from them. During their study, the researchers identified some effective ECE practices that promote children’s developmental outcomes. Children were found to make more progress if the programmes:
2.1.9.1 arrange an equal balance of child and adult initiated activities;
2.1.9.2 are delivered by teachers who are equipped with knowledge in curriculum and child development;
2.1.9.3 engage parents in their children’s learning; and
2.1.9.4 support children’s behaviour management through teachers’ reasoning and talk8.
6 For example, Farquhar, S. (2005). The Role of Parents and Family in Children’s Early Education. Keynote presentation to the International HIPPY Symposium, Auckland, 22nd Sept 2005.
7 See Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Taggart, B. (2004). The effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) project: findings from pre-school to end of key stage 1. SureStart, November 2004 and Melhuish, E. (2010). Impact of the home learning environment on child cognitive development:
secondary analysis of data from Growing up in Scotland. Scotland: Scottish government.
8 Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I. & Taggart, B. (2004). The effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) project: findings from pre-school to end of key stage 1. SureStart, November 2004.
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2.1.10 As a means to support those children who cannot benefit from quality parental involvement or to unleash labour force, some promote the provision of WD programmes to these children. More details about the practices in Hong Kong are provided in section 7.4 of Chapter 7.
2.1.11 In short, from educational perspective, existing evidence precludes drawing conclusions that WD programmes, compared with HD ones, lead to more positive developmental outcomes in children. Given the non-conclusive research findings in the impact of school hours on child outcomes, some research studies further advise that governments should be cautious about the financial implications of investing in WD programmes and consider carefully whether the benefits really outweigh the costs9. They caution that WD programmes are very expensive, especially when implemented on a universal basis.
The Quality of ECE
Teacher Training
2.1.12 Research studies have shown that quality ECE and desirable child outcomes are not possible without quality pedagogies and professional teachers10. Therefore, teacher professionalism is another key issue of the ECE sector worldwide. Countries nowadays are not only trying to employ enough teachers in the ECE sector, they are also investing more and more in ECE teacher training with a view to raising the quality of the teaching force. Aspiring teachers should be provided with quality pre-service training so as to better prepare them with adequate knowledge and skills.
Despite the consensus on the importance of well-trained teachers for quality ECE and children's outcomes, different countries have different requirements on the kind of professional qualifications and duration of training. The qualification requirements vary from post-secondary non-tertiary level to having a specialised 3-year-Bachelor’s
9 See Brownell, M.D., Nickel, N.C., Chateau, D., Martens, P.J., Taylor, C., Crockett, L., Katz, A., Sarkar, J., Burland, E. & C.Y. Gohand the PATHS Equity Team. (2015). Long-term benefits of full-day kindergarten: a longitudinal population-based study, Early Child Development and Care, 185:2, 291-316 and Cannon, J.S., Jacknowitz, A. &
Painter, G. (2006). Is full better than half? Examining the longitudinal effects of full-day kindergarten attendance. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 25(2): 299-321.
10 See Education at a Glance 2014: OECD Indicators. (2014). OECD Publishing and Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care. (2012). OECD Publishing.
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degree in education. In Germany and Denmark for example, the minimum entry requirement is set at a post-secondary non-tertiary level, whereas the ECE teachers in Belgium and Finland are required to possess a Bachelor’s degree in education11.
2.1.13 In fact, initial teacher training is only the starting point in equipping ECE teachers for the profession. It takes more than teachers’ professional qualifications to achieve quality ECE and children's outcomes. It requires on-going professional development opportunities and support to continuously equip teachers for all sorts of challenges that are to come throughout their teaching career. Continuous professional development (CPD) of teachers is considered essential in keeping teachers abreast of the current educational policies, the latest trends of ECE, etc. as doing so helps enhance the quality of ECE services in the long run. To cater for the different ECE systems and working environment of teachers, various forms and structures of professional development programmes (PDPs) are being offered and they vary from place to place. The more common forms and structures are seminars/workshops, onsite mentoring, online training and formal training courses.
To encourage teachers to continuously upgrade the skills themselves, various kinds of incentives are often provided and financial support is by far the most common one, followed by advancement to higher qualifications. More than 96% of the OECD countries/regions offer government financial support for KG teachers to enrol themselves in PDPs12. Many European countries even make CPD a working requirement while some countries also make it a prerequisite for promotion13.
Quality Assurance
2.1.14 An effective quality assurance system plays a crucial role in promoting better ECE services and learning outcomes. It is an ongoing evaluation process of school performance for accountability, keeping track of school practices, informing parental choice, etc. Again, no two countries/regions have the same quality assurance system. Amongst the OECD member countries/regions, a mixed use of
11 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Eurostat, 2014. Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe. 2014 Edition. Eurydice and Eurostat Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
12 Starting Strong III: A Quality Toolbox for Early Childhood Education and Care. (2012). OECD Publishing.
13 European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice/Eurostat, 2014. Key Data on Early Childhood Education and Care in Europe. 2014 Edition. Eurydice and Eurostat Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.
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external and internal evaluation is the most commonly adopted mode of assessment.
Monitoring methods like rating scales, questionnaires, observation, interview, etc.
are often used during the evaluation process. Some countries/regions have the evaluation results published online. For instance, in Singapore, a list of KG that have passed the external evaluation is posted online. In Australia and Shanghai, detailed external evaluation results of schools are also available online for public information.
2.2 The Local Context
(a) Major Milestones in Kindergarten Education
Background
2.2.1 Back in year 2000, the Learning for Life, Learning through Life – Reform Proposals for the Education System in Hong Kong [Proposals (2000)] has already spelled out explicitly the Government’s determination in promoting quality education, including KG education. In response to an increased focus on knowledge, Proposals (2000) expanded the meaning of education from a narrow focus on academic achievement to a concern about students’ holistic development. It envisioned an education system that allowed all students to have equitable opportunities for personal advancement and social mobility. KG education has been positioned as the foundation of lifelong learning. Its aims were to help children cultivate a positive attitude towards learning and good living habits in an inspiring and enjoyable environment. Since then, much has been done to enhance the quality of KG education in Hong Kong.
2.2.2 In an attempt to eliminate the disparities in the delivery of service and financial assistance to children, and the inconvenience caused to school operators and parents, harmonisation of pre-primary services was implemented in 2005.
Before 2005, all KGs in Hong Kong were governed by the then Education Department while child care centres were monitored by the Social Welfare Department (SWD).
In 2005, a new section called Joint Office for Pre-primary Services (now known as Joint Office for Kindergartens and Child Care Centres) was set up. It was staffed by both EDB and SWD officers to monitor and support the KG-cum-CCCs. From then on,
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all KGs and KG-cum-CCCs in Hong Kong were collectively referred to as KGs.
2.2.3 While harmonisation was introduced with a view to unifying the governance of KG services, the Government has successfully maintained a multifaceted KG sector here. It remains as a vibrant private sector to flexibly cope with parents’ diverse demands and the various needs of children. In the 2014/2015 school year, the sector was made up of about 90% local KGs and 10% non-local ones. The KGs offer diversified services, with some classes operating on a HD basis (around 3 to 3.5 hours per day) and some on a WD basis (around 7 to 7.5 hours per day, including time for lunch and afternoon nap). A considerable number of KGs are operating both HD and WD classes in the same premises. Some of these KGs are “long WD” (LWD) KGs, which were former aided child care centres (FACs) under the SWD. They operate longer service hours (around 10 hours per day and five and a half days per week), and may also offer ancillary services including extended hours service, occasional child care service and Integrated Programme. In the 2014/15 school year, out of the 760 local NPM KGs, 381 KGs operate both HD and WD classes (around 50%), followed by 235 KGs operating solely WD classes (31%) and 144 KGs solely for HD classes (19%).
Enhancing Accessibility
2.2.4 The gross enrolment rate for KG education in Hong Kong has been 100% or above for a long time, which is higher than that of many other parts of the world.
According to UNESCO (2014), the gross enrolment rate for ECE in 2011 in developed countries was around 85%14. The Government provides parents with direct fee subsidy, in the forms of vouchers, to ease their financial burden and enhance accessibility of education for young children. The enrolment of over 100% reflects that there is an adequate supply of places in KG education for every child in Hong Kong. Moreover, no child is deprived of access to KG education irrespective of their ability, developmental needs, family background or socio-economic status.
2.2.5 As mentioned previously, all KGs in Hong Kong are privately run. They can be categorised as NPM and private independent (PI) KGs depending on their
14 UNESCO. (2014). The 2013/4 Education for All Global Monitoring Report Teaching and Learning: Achieving quality for all. Paris, France: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
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sponsoring organisations which can be either voluntary agencies or private enterprises. In the 2014/15 school year, NPM KGs made up approximately 80% of all KGs; while the rest were PI KGs. The Government has long been financially supporting KG education, with gradual increase in its financial commitment over the years just like the rest of the world. The Government has been providing NPM KGs with rent, rates and government rent reimbursement since 1982. The respective numbers of NPM KGs receiving rent under the Rent Reimbursement Scheme, rates and government rent in the 2014/15 school year were 396, 652 and 308 respectively.
2.2.6 The Government has also played an active role in providing subsidies for parents of children aged three to six to receive KG education on a need basis.
Before the harmonisation of pre-primary services, needy families could apply for the Child Care Centre Fee Assistance Scheme (CCCFAS) if their children went to child care centres, or the Kindergarten Fee Remission Scheme (KGFRS) if their children went to KGs. Upon harmonisation, the ambit of the KGFRS was expanded to cover all eligible children receiving pre-primary services, including those originally covered by the CCCFAS. The KGFRS was re-named as Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme (KCFRS) from 2005/06. Under KCFRS, low income families could be eligible for 100%, 75% or 50% fee remission. The three levels of assistance and a common means-tested mechanism of the KCFRS could ensure that no child would be deprived of the opportunity to receive KG education due to family financial difficulties.
2.2.7 In 2007, the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) was launched and its objective is to further subsidise all eligible children aged three to six to receive affordable and quality KG education. Under PEVS, a non-means-tested subsidy is provided for parents of all eligible children in KGs joining PEVS to help them defray expenditure on KG education for their children. More details about PEVS are available in Section 2.2(b). In addition, the means-tested KCFRS is still available for children from needy families. Again, this is to ensure that no child will be deprived of the opportunity to receive KG education due to a lack of financial means. As of January 2015, there are a total of 35,632 families enjoying fee remission under KCFRS, on top of PEVS subsidy. The estimated government expenditure on PEVS and KCFRS in the 2014-15 financial year is $2,564.6 million and $544.9 million respectively. The overall government expenditure on subsidising KG education has increased from
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about $1,600 million in the 2007-08 financial year to about $3,400 million in the 2014-15 financial year.
Enhancing Quality
Teacher Training
2.2.8 Recognising that effective leadership and high quality teaching practices are vital to achieving quality KG education, the Government has for many years taken an active role in promoting the professional competence of the teaching force by offering training opportunities and supporting school personnel financially for receiving training.
2.2.9 Prior to the implementation of PEVS, in the light of the global trends and the recommendations of Proposals (2000), the Government has been upgrading the professional standards of KG teachers and principals progressively. In September 2003, all newly appointed KG teachers had to have achieved five passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (including both the Chinese and English languages) with a Qualified Kindergarten Teacher (QKT) qualification. The percentage of QKTs employed by a KG increased from 40% in 1997/98 to 100% in 2004/05. Starting from September 2002, all newly appointed KG principals were also required to possess a Certificate in Early Childhood Education [C(ECE)]
qualification. All serving KG principals were required to possess the same qualification before the end of 2005/06.
2.2.10 With the implementation of PEVS in 2007/08, the Government provided further financial support and appropriate professional development opportunities to bring the KG teachers and principals to a higher level of professional competency.
In the first 5-year phase of PEVS, i.e. the 2007/08 – 2011/12 school years, specific policy targets regarding teacher qualifications requirement were set out for KGs that join the Scheme. By the end of 2011/12, on the basis of the teacher-to-pupil ratio of 1:15, all KG teachers should possess a C(ECE). All newly appointed principals had to possess a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education [BEd(ECE)], one-year post-qualification experience and have had completed the Certification Course for KG
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Principals (CKGP) before, or exceptionally within the first year of, their appointment.
In the 2014/15 school year, about 98.5% of KG teachers and principals are either holding or pursuing C(ECE) as compared to 56% in the 2006/07. Around 82% of the KG principals were either holding or pursuing BEd(ECE). Between the school years of 2007/08 and 2013/14, a total of 464 principals had completed CKGP. In gist, over the past years, there had been great improvement in the professional knowledge and qualifications of the KG sector.
2.2.11 A Teacher Development Subsidy was embedded in each voucher under PEVS at the amount of $3,000, $3,000, $2,000 and $2,000 respectively for the 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 school years. NPM KGs joining PEVS could spend the Teacher Development Subsidy, until end of the 2011/12 school year, on professional upgrading of teachers and principals, in the priority of reimbursement of course fees, appointment of supply teachers to substitute for teachers on training course to relieve their workload, and arrangement of school-based staff development programmes. Teachers serving in private independent and NPM non-PEVS KGs were also entitled to claim up to 50% of the fees for one approved early childhood education diploma or degree course, capped at $60,000, until end of the 2011/12 school year. After the lapse of the Teacher Development Subsidy at the end of the 2011/12 school year, to further support KG principals and teachers who were expected to complete their professional upgrading by the end of the 2013/14 school year, the Government offered course fee reimbursement for up to 50% of the fees for serving KG principals and teachers under PEVS if they pursued a relevant approved ECE course in the 2012/13 and/or 2013/14 school year(s) and could successfully complete the course before the end of the 2013/14 school year.
2.2.12 On top of qualification upgrading, the Government is also committed to providing professional development opportunities for KG principals and teachers, in line with overseas practices. Both local and non-local PDPs are provided for serving KG principals and teachers. The local PDPs are usually in the form of seminars/workshops, training courses and on-site support. They are mainly provided by EDB and teacher education institutions (TEIs). In 2014, EDB offered around 70 PDPs on topics such as school self-evaluation, learning and teaching, catering for learner diversity, etc. to help KGs deliver the curriculum effectively for the development and learning of children. School-based support services were also
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provided for KGs to enhance teachers’ capacities in curriculum development and implementation to cater for children’s learning needs. Furthermore, expertise from the tertiary sector has been solicited through the “University-School Support Programmes” to provide intensive on-site support for KGs. With regard to non-local PDPs, three training programmes to Seoul, Shanghai and Hangzhou respectively were organised for KG principals and teachers in the 2014/15 school year.
Quality Assurance
2.2.13 To promote quality KG education through continuous school development and enhanced accountability, the Quality Assurance (QA) Framework was introduced to the KG sector in 2000. Similar to the global trend, it is based on a mixed use of internal and external evaluation. The QA Framework encompasses school self-evaluation (SSE) conducted by KGs themselves and external reviews conducted by inspectors of EDB. The external review took the form of Quality Review (QR) with the roll-out of PEVS in 2007. All KGs under PEVS are required to conduct ongoing SSE and undergo QR for sustainable school development and accountability purposes. For KGs to remain eligible for joining PEVS, they also need to be periodically assessed as meeting the prescribed standards at QR by the inspectors of EDB. During the first 5-year phase of PEVS, all KGs under PEVS (a total of 703) have undergone QR. Like Singapore, Australia and Shanghai, China, QR reports are available online for public information.
2.2.14 The QA Framework would not have been effective if EDB and KG sector have not shared a mutual understanding of the assessment criteria and standards. For this purpose, the “Performance Indicators (Pre-primary institutions)” (PInds) were published between 2001 and 2003 which cover four major domains of school work – Management and Organisation, Learning and Teaching, Support to Children and School Culture, and Children’s Development. To ensure a thorough assessment on school performance, the PInds set forth a total of 16 areas and some associated evidences of performance under the four domains. These PInds serve as a reference for KGs to evaluate their own performance and to formulate development plans to advance towards quality education. They also serve as a basis for EDB inspectors to make professional judgments on the performance of KGs.
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2.2.15 During the course of QR, school performance data are regularly collected, compiled and analysed by EDB. The findings are used to inform the planning of professional support provided to KGs. It is through this feedback system that the needs of KGs are effectively catered for, and the continuous development in the sector further enhanced.
2.2.16 In conclusion, just like the rest of the world, the Government has for many years been supporting enhancement of the quality of KG education and striving to enhance the accessibility of children to KG education irrespective of their families’
financial means. Various measures have been taken, such as provision of subsidies to parents, enhancing teacher professional competence, and implementation of the QA framework, to achieve the goals. Against this background, and taking into account the fact that KG education in various forms and shapes has already taken root in Hong Kong, the Committee set out to examine the related issues and recommend specific proposals on how to implement quality KG education free in a sustainable and practicable manner.
(b) The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme
Objective
2.2.17 In the 2006-07 Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced a major financial commitment for KG education and introduced PEVS with effect from the 2007/08 school year with a view to preserving the responsiveness of the sector, alleviating the financial burden on parents and enhancing the quality of KG education.
2.2.18 The rationale of PEVS is for all school-age children to receive affordable and quality KG education to be achieved through:
2.2.18.1 Enhancement of parental choice – facilitated by direct fee subsidy in the form of a voucher, coupled with transparency of KG operations;
2.2.18.2 Well-qualified teaching staff – facilitated by financial support for professional upgrading and ongoing professional development; and
