July 2019
Task Force on School-based Management Policy
Review Report
Preface
Attaching great importance to school education, the Government endeavours to enhance the quality of education and nurture talent for the sustainable development of Hong Kong. To attain quality education, schools are required to adopt appropriate modus operandi in pedagogy and governance to develop their own culture and characteristics, cater for the development needs of students and seek continuous self-improvement in pursuit of excellence. All along, primary and secondary education in Hong Kong is mainly provided by aided schools which were opened by their school sponsoring bodies (SSBs). Development goals and directions of individual schools are therefore set in light of the mission and vision of SSBs, schools’ own history, culture and characteristics and the expectations and needs of relevant stakeholders such as parents, students and alumni, while the Government is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operation of aided schools through provision of resources and developing education policies and school governance framework to ensure the quality of education. The features that providing schools with resources by the Government and sponsoring schools by their SSBs make the education system of Hong Kong unique among those of other places; hence effective school-based management (SBM) becomes more important in this context.
In line with the above, the aim of implementing the SBM policy is to authorise schools to develop their own characteristics, cater for students’ diverse learning needs and enhance their learning outcomes through delegation of more authority and responsibility which allow schools greater autonomy and flexibility, thereby delivering quality education. Meanwhile, the participation of major stakeholders in decision-making helps enhance transparency and accountability in school operation and management.
In the Policy Address delivered in October 2017, the Chief Executive announced the setting up of various task forces to carry out in- depth reviews on eight key areas of education. This includes clarifying the relationship between the Education Bureau (EDB) and SSBs and their schools, and taking the SBM policy further to remove encumbrances and create room for the education sector for research and exchange pertinent to education policies. Readily accepting the EDB’s invitation, the Education Commission set up the Task Force on School-based Management Policy in November 2017 to carry out the review.
Besides thoroughly examining the current implementation of the SBM policy, the Task Force fully explored and analysed the related issues and consulted the education sector, particularly the ways to further
enhance the quality of governance and unleash capacity for teachers and principals by removing encumbrances. A number of preliminary recommendations were then drawn up. To solicit the views of the education sector and stakeholders, the Task Force not only sent copies of a consultation paper to all aided schools and their SSBs, but also uploaded the consultation paper onto the EDB website. A number of consultation sessions were conducted for the education sector and stakeholders as well. Upon detailed analysis and discussion of the views collected, the Task Force has finally put forward 27 specific recommendations, details of which are set out in this report.
The active participation of Task Force members during the past months and their valuable inputs make the review a success. Being knowledgeable, experienced and forward-looking, they have made distinguished contributions to the exploration and formulation of improvement measures. My heartfelt thanks go to each and every member.
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the representatives of various educational bodies and stakeholders for unreservedly offering insightful advice and suggestions during the consultation. Their enlightenment has enabled us to explore deeper the relevant issues and develop recommendations that could better cater for the needs of the sector and stakeholders. My appreciation also goes to the Task Force Secretariat for its robust and dedicated support throughout the review.
It is my sincere wish that with the joint efforts of the Government and the education sector, the recommendations put forth by the Task Force will be fully carried out to achieve greater effectiveness in implementation of the SBM policy, thereby fostering the provision of quality education that prepares our students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Tim LUI Tim-leung Chairman
Task Force on School-based Management Policy
Task Force on School-based Management Policy Review Report
Table of Contents
Page
Preface 1
Table of Contents 3
Executive Summary 5
Chapter 1: Introduction 11
Background 11
Composition of the Task Force 11
Work of the Task Force 12
Chapter 2: Current Implementation of School-based
Management Policy 14
Objectives of the SBM policy 14
Roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders 14
Governance framework under the SBM policy 15
Existing support measures 16
Review 18
Summing up 20
Chapter 3: Consultation 21
Consultation work 21
Majority views 22
Summing up 26
Chapter 4: Recommendations 28
Improving the quality of governance 28
Strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals
40
Enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance
48
Summing up 57
Chapter 5: Conclusion 59
Appendices
1. Terms of Reference and Membership List of the Task Force 2. Legal Provisions for Functions and Responsibilities of SSBs
and IMCs
3. Illustration of Mutual Relationship among the EDB, SSBs and IMCs
4. Consultation Document Released by the Task Force in July 2018
5. Statistics on Stakeholders’ Participation in Consultation Sessions and/or Tendering of Written Submissions
6. Summary of Views Collected during Consultation
60 61
63
64
79
80
Executive Summary
School-based management
Under the school-based management (SBM) policy, schools are devolved with greater autonomy and flexibility in management, resource deployment and development planning, which aim to enable them to formulate school-based policies that can better meet the needs of schools and those of their students, develop school characteristics and enhance students’ learning outcomes, hence delivering quality education. The current SBM system is essentially built on the participation of major stakeholders in school management, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability in school operation and governance.
The SBM framework is a participatory governance framework.
The Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004, which came into operation on 1 January 2005, clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of different parties under the SBM framework and requires all aided schools to set up an incorporated management committee (IMC), with the specified composition, for school management. In addition, schools with IMCs should strive for self-improvement systematically by conducting self-evaluation through the Planning-Implementation- Evaluation cycle.
Since 1999, the Education Bureau (EDB) has rolled out various measures to support schools in implementing the SBM policy. These include providing additional resources, introducing more flexible funding arrangements, streamlining administrative procedures, and delegating to schools more authority and responsibility to handle matters related to school administration, school-based curriculum, etc. School inspections and External School Reviews are conducted by the EDB to offer feedback and improvement suggestions for promoting schools’
sustainable development.
Task Force on School-based Management Policy
Following the announcement by the Chief Executive in the 2017 Policy Address, the Education Commission (EC) accepted the EDB’s invitation and set up in November 2017 the Task Force on School-based Management Policy (Task Force) to study the current implementation of the SBM policy in aided schools and propose improvement measures.
Having reviewed the current implementation of the SBM policy, the Task Force considers it appropriate to study how to optimise SBM along three broad areas: (I) improving the quality of governance; (II) strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals; and (III) enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance. Between late June and mid-September 2018, the Task Force extensively consulted the education sector and stakeholders on its preliminary recommendations through arrangement of consultation sessions and release of a consultation paper.
On the whole, the preliminary recommendations received positive feedback from the sector and stakeholders. Upon careful deliberation on the views collected, the Task Force has put forward 27 specific recommendations for the reference of the EDB, school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) and IMCs. The recommendations are summarised below.
Recommendations of the Task Force
(I) Improving the quality of governance
The Task Force is of the view that the quality of governance of IMCs is closely related to whether the school managers have a clear understanding of their respective functions and responsibilities, and whether they are ready to serve as school managers with the required capability and enthusiasm. Its recommendations in this connection are as follows:
1. The EDB is advised to strengthen its effort to elaborate to SSBs and IMCs the importance of managers’ broad knowledge of school governance in enhancing school governance and encourage them to assist school managers in planning for their training.
2. The EDB is advised to set up focus groups to get in-depth understanding of the concerns of different stakeholders and the training needs of school managers.
3. The EDB is advised to enhance the training content, diversify the training modes and increase the number of training places for school managers.
4. The EDB is advised to further enhance the SBM webpage to facilitate school managers’ easy reference and produce web-based tools to help
school managers grasp the essence of SBM.
5. SSBs are recommended to co-organise their school manager training programmes with the EDB, optimise the use of training resources and motivate their school managers to participate.
6. SSBs are encouraged to establish “learning circles”/“communication groups” to strengthen cross-school sharing and mutual support among supervisors and managers of their sponsored schools, and open up their training for the participation of school managers of other SSBs.
7. Soft training targets for school supervisors and managers are recommended:
Newly registered Serving/
re-nominating Supervisors At least a total of six
hours’ training in the first year of service
A training programme of at least two hours every year
School managers
At least a total of three hours’ training in the first year of service
A training programme of at least two hours every year
It is recommended that this proposal be run on a trial basis for four school years, and both interim and overall reviews be conducted.
8. The EDB is advised to prepare a list of the roles and functions, authority and responsibilities, conduct and ethics, etc. of a school manager; to enrich the ‘Information Bank of Persons Who Are Interested to Serve As School Managers in IMCs of Aided Schools’
to help SSBs and IMCs identify suitable persons to serve as school managers; and to encourage persons who aspire to be school supervisors/managers to receive training for preparation to take up the respective roles.
9. The EDB is advised to enhance school visits specifically for IMCs so as to strengthen support to the operation of IMCs and facilitate early detection and intervention of potential mismanagement cases.
10. The IMCs are recommended to make proper plans and arrangement for succession of school managers and provide training for potential and newly registered school managers in accordance with the school
circumstances.
(II) Strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals
The Task Force notes that the tasks related to school administration and management have significantly increased and become increasingly complex, but the existing school administrative support which is mainly rendered by clerical grade staff is grossly inadequate to meet the prevailing needs of schools in terms of the number of staff and their capability. Its recommendations in this connection are as follows:
11. The EDB is advised to provide schools with additional manpower at the Executive Officer rank/additional resources to strengthen their administrative support.
12. The EDB is advised to continue the existing review of its requirements on schools on a regular basis to streamline the administrative arrangements/procedures while ensuring the accountability of IMCs and the proper use of public funds.
13. The EDB is advised to further refine the existing guidelines/reference materials, strengthen the related training and facilitate the dissemination of good practices in different administrative areas gathered from schools.
14. The EDB is advised to digitise the forms/reports to be submitted by schools and highlight the updates made in the guidelines/reference materials for schools’ easy identification and comprehension.
15. SSBs are encouraged to streamline the administrative requirements to be observed by their sponsored schools and assume a coordinating role in school administration among them, where appropriate (for example, arranging centralised procurement for their sponsored schools).
16. The EDB is advised to provide schools with additional resources to strengthen school manager training and administrative support for IMCs.
17. IMCs are recommended to regularly review the internal administrative arrangements of the schools and revisit the content requirements for various school documents for streamlining to
enhance work efficiency.
18. IMCs are recommended to revisit their constitutions and, where necessary, revise the clauses and streamline the procedures, and identify persons other than the principals and teachers to undertake the secretarial duties of IMCs/various committees.
(III) Enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance
The Task Force considers it necessary for schools to put in place effective engagement mechanisms under SBM to ensure the due participation of major stakeholders, such as teachers, parents and alumni, in school governance to enhance transparency and accountability, and for the EDB to strengthen its communication mechanism with teachers to facilitate professional exchange. In addition, both schools and the EDB should optimise their respective complaint handling mechanisms. Relevant Task Force’s recommendations are as follows:
19. IMCs are recommended to strengthen the engagement mechanisms through formal and informal channels to enhance communication with different stakeholders (for instance, organising regular consultative meetings between the school and teachers and arranging for school managers to meet with the stakeholders).
20. IMCs are encouraged to assess whether there is a need for setting up committees, comprising school managers with relevant expertise, relevant school personnel and external experts, to take care of the major areas of school operation to promote participation of stakeholders in school governance.
21. The EDB is advised to reinstate the annual district-based small group discussion forums with teachers to facilitate professional exchange.
22. During school development visits, the EDB officers are advised, apart from meeting the school management, to approach teachers directly for the purpose of strengthening communication.
23. The EDB is advised to enrich the training programmes for newly appointed and aspiring principals, particularly on major subjects such as professional conduct, core values, and communication skills and culture, so that the principals could better grasp their role and acquire the related skills.
24. The EDB is advised to expand the scope of review by the Panel of Review Boards on School Complaints from covering only complaints made by parents, students or the public about schools’
daily operation or internal affairs to that made by teachers so that independent, objective and credible review results will be available to both parties, i.e. the complainant and the subject of complaint; and to help stakeholders better understand the prevailing arrangements for handling various types of complaints through different channels.
25. IMCs are recommended to make reference to the Guidelines for Handling School Complaints issued by the EDB in developing/refining their mechanisms and procedures for handling staff complaints. The EDB is advised to gather information from public sector schools about staff complaints they receive on a yearly basis, in order to get a clear picture of individual schools and take appropriate follow-up actions when necessary.
26. IMCs are recommended to settle disagreement with stakeholders by mediation as early as possible to prevent the situation from deteriorating and help the two parties restore mutual trust and maintain a harmonious relationship; and to review on a regular/need basis their school-based mechanisms and procedures for handling complaints and appeals, including complaints made by teachers, to further enhance fairness, impartiality and acceptance of the handling procedures.
27. The SSBs are encouraged to settle disagreement between their schools and complainants by mediation as early as possible to help the two parties restore mutual trust and maintain a harmonious relationship; and to review on a regular/need basis the mechanisms and procedures for handling complaints and appeals against their schools, including complaints made by teachers, to further enhance fairness, impartiality and acceptance of the handling procedures.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Background
1.1 Participation of stakeholders in school governance is a world-wide trend. In 1997, the EC issued its Report No. 7 on Quality School Education and one of the key recommendations to the Government was to provide schools with greater autonomy and flexibility by devolving more authority and responsibility to them, such that schools could develop their own characteristics to meet the diverse learning needs of students and enhance the learning outcomes in order to deliver quality education. In parallel, there should be enhanced transparency of school operation and management as well as increased accountability of school governance with greater stakeholders’ involvement in school management, development planning, assessment and decision-making.
1.2 In line with the above recommendations of the EC, since 1999, the EDB has put in place various initiatives, such as revising the Education Ordinance to establish the governance framework under SBM, devolving more authority and responsibility to schools and streamlining administrative procedures, to assist schools in implementing SBM.
1.3 With the aim of attaining quality education, the Chief Executive actively listens to the views of the education sector and various stakeholders. In addition to the implementation of a package of priority measures in the 2017/18 school year, it was announced in the Policy Address released in October 2017 that different task forces be set up to conduct in-depth study on eight areas of education, including clarifying the relationship between the EDB and SSBs and their schools and taking the SBM policy further with a view to removing encumbrances for the education sector to provide more room for studies and exchanges on education policies.
Composition of the Task Force
1.4 The EC accepted the invitation of the EDB and established the Task Force on School-based Management Policy in November 2017 to study the current implementation of the SBM policy in aided
schools 1 and based on the results of the study, to make recommendations on the optimisation of SBM.
1.5 The Task Force comprises 13 experienced educators and related stakeholders from the EC, SSBs, school councils, parent associations and teacher organisations and the EDB. The Task Force is chaired by the EC Chairman, Mr Tim LUI Tim-leung. Its terms of reference and membership list are detailed in Appendix I.
Work of the Task Force
1.6 Since its establishment in November 2017, the Task Force has conducted 10 meetings to have a comprehensive review on the implementation of SBM. Various issues were discussed in detail to explore improvement measures, including further unleashing capacity for teachers and principals, strengthening the understanding of the school managers and stakeholders of the respective roles and responsibilities of different parties and enhancing their governance capabilities, as well as exploring in-depth to formulate plans for the basic training requirements for school supervisors and school managers. To take forward the review, the Task Force met respectively with the primary and secondary school principals representing 18 districts of Hong Kong in February 2018 to listen to their views and launched an extensive consultation exercise on its preliminary recommendations for the optimisation of SBM from late June to mid-September 2018. A consultation paper was drawn up for distribution to all aided schools and their SSBs and uploading onto the EDB and relevant Government websites to invite written submissions from the education sector and relevant stakeholders.
Five consultation sessions were arranged for different stakeholders (including school managers, principals, teachers, parents, and representatives of SSBs and educational bodies).
1.7 This report summarises the conclusions of the Task Force after in-depth analysis and consideration of the views from discussion with the education sector and stakeholders, resulting in 27 specific recommendations for reference of the EDB, SSBs and IMCs to formulate relevant strategies and initiatives to improve the quality of
1 Given that the Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 which came into operation on 1 January 2005 requires all aided schools to set up an IMC and be managed by it, the current review essentially covers aided schools. However, subject to prevailing circumstances, the Government will consider implementing the recommendations of the Task Force in other public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools.
governance, promote the participation of major stakeholders in school governance and further unleash capacity for teachers and principals.
Chapter 2
Current Implementation of School-based Management Policy
Objectives of the SBM policy
2.1 The SBM policy aims to enable schools, through devolution of more authority and responsibility to allow them greater flexibility in management, resource deployment and development planning, to formulate school-based policies that can better meet the needs of schools and students, develop school characteristics and enhance students’
learning outcomes, hence delivering quality education. Since the quality of school education has a direct bearing on students’ learning outcomes, while enjoying greater autonomy, schools should increase transparency by involving more stakeholders in school management, development planning, evaluation and decision-making, and enhance accountability for their overall performance and proper use of public funds.
2.2 Since 1999, the EDB has rolled out various measures to support schools in implementing the SBM policy. These include introducing flexible funding arrangements, streamlining administrative procedures and delegating to schools more authority and responsibility to handle matters related to personnel management, finance and curriculum design and delivery. To tie in with the implementation of the SBM policy, the Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 came into operation on 1 January 2005. The provisions governing SBM not only establish a governance framework for schools, but also clearly define the roles and responsibilities of different parties under the framework, thereby enabling the participation of major stakeholders in school governance.
Roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders
2.3 The Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of different parties under the school governance framework. The legal provisions concerning the functions and responsibilities of SSBs and IMCs are set out in Appendix 2.
2.4 The respective functions and responsibilities of the EDB, SSBs and IMCs are summarised below:
The EDB: enforcing relevant legislation; developing policies and guidelines; setting targets and monitoring the standards for education services; allocating resources to schools; and serving as schools’ professional partner through the provision of support and advice.
SSBs: setting the vision and mission of schools; giving general directions to IMCs in regard to formulating school policies ; monitoring the performance of IMCs; and ensuring, through SSB managers, the accomplishment of the mission.
IMCs: managing schools; formulating school policies in line with the vision and mission set by SSBs; undertaking the planning and management of finance, human resources, curriculum design and delivery, etc.; and answering to the EDB and SSBs for the performance of schools.
The mutual relationship among the EDB, SSBs and IMCs is illustrated in Appendix 3.
Governance framework under the SBM policy
2.5 SBM is built on a governance framework under which all major school stakeholders are engaged in management and decision-making, with the aim of enhancing transparency and accountability for school operation and the use of public funds. To underpin the SBM policy and ensure direct involvement of major stakeholders in school governance, the Education (Amendment) Ordinance 2004 requires all aided schools to set up an IMC and to be managed by it. Being a body corporate, an IMC comprises six categories of school managers, namely independent manager, school principal, SSB manager, and teacher manager, parent manager and alumni manager returned by election. The participation of different stakeholders in policy-making not only contributes to greater transparency and accountability in school governance, but also helps bring betterment to school policies through collective wisdom and synergy, and at the same time, put in place effective checks and balances to avert anything that could be detrimental to school development.
2.6 In addition, schools are required to operate, and principals are required to manage and lead the schools in accordance with the Education Ordinance, the Education Regulations, the Codes of Aid, other pertinent legislation, instructions and circulars issued by the EDB from time to
time, guidelines drawn up by SSBs and the IMC constitutions.
2.7 Given enhanced flexibility and autonomy in daily operation with the SBM policy, schools with IMCs should put in place a School Self- evaluation (SSE) mechanism under the School Development and Accountability Framework. As one of the core elements of SBM, the SSE mechanism seeks to enable schools’ self-improvement in a systematic manner through the Planning-Implementation-Evaluation cycle2. On top of SSE, school inspections and External School Reviews (ESRs) are conducted by the EDB to offer feedback and improvement suggestions from different perspectives to help promote schools’
sustainable development.
Existing support measures
2.8 The EDB strives to render appropriate support in the form of training, seminars, briefings, school visits, etc. to assist aided schools in implementing the SBM policy, particularly in the initial stage of IMC establishment. Apart from the measures mentioned in paragraph 2.2 above, the EDB prepares reference materials and information kits and provides on-site support services to help schools with IMCs put in place an SBM system that emphasises accountability and transparency and handle matters related to human resources and financial management, etc.
Whenever necessary, the EDB will offer advisory services to schools.
The key measures that support schools in implementing the SBM policy are summarised below:
(i) Since 2005, the EDB has been arranging school visits that aim to assist aided schools in implementing the SBM policy. In particular, visits are conducted in the initial stage of IMC establishment to offer on-site support by advising aided schools on formulation of school- based policies and handling of related matters. This helps ensure schools’ compliance with the Education Ordinance and the Education Regulations, and raises schools’ awareness of the need to comply with pertinent provisions.
(ii) To equip school managers with the knowledge and skills necessary for school management, the EDB offers basic training courses, such as the structured manager training programmes, for different
2 In a gist, schools have to determine the development foci and strategies for a school development cycle, work out implementation details and report the progress/outcomes on an annual basis, and conduct a holistic review of effectiveness at the end of the school development cycle to inform planning for future development.
categories of school managers. The EDB also organises thematic briefings and seminars on such aspects as financial management, procurement procedures, personnel management, the Codes of Aid, for SSBs, school managers and personnel of aided schools to better acquaint them with the roles and responsibilities of major stakeholders under the SBM policy and the operation of IMCs.
(iii) To facilitate the smooth and effective operation of IMCs, the EDB has prepared various reference materials and information kits for IMC deployment, and the contents of such are revisited on a regular basis. These materials include the Manual for Change-over Arrangements, Code of Aid for Aided Schools, Compendium to Code of Aid for Aided Schools, Supplement to School Administration Guide, Guide to Financial Management for Aided Schools Operated by Incorporated Management Committees, handy tips on personnel and financial management and a checklist on procurement procedures. Moreover, the EDB has developed the SBM webpage, which provides various online resources on school governance for the easy reference of schools.
(iv) To help SSBs and IMCs identify suitable persons to fill the vacancies of SSB/independent managers, the EDB launched in the 2016/17 school year the “Information Bank of Persons Who Are Interested to Serve As School Managers in IMCs of Aided Schools”, which contains particulars of several hundred professionals from different fields, for reference of SSBs/IMCs looking for new SSB/independent managers.
(v) To protect school managers and thus enable them to assume their roles and responsibilities without concern about any civil liability for performing their functions in good faith, the EDB has taken out liability insurance for IMCs and school managers of aided schools.
In addition, the EDB organises briefings for schools every year to explain the coverage and claim procedures of the IMC liability insurance policy and to draw their attention to risk management.
(vi) In view of schools’ increased administrative workload arising from greater autonomy and responsibility devolved to them, the EDB has introduced various measures to ease the burden on teachers and schools, such as providing additional resources for schools to employ
extra supporting staff/procure necessary services3 , streamlining administrative arrangements and disseminating good practices and experience.
Review
2.9 Having examined the current implementation of the SBM policy, the Task Force considers that the Education Ordinance has clear provisions about the functions and responsibilities of SSBs and IMCs (Appendix 2), and that SSBs and IMCs in general have adequate and appropriate exchange and collaboration that facilitate their discharge of statutory functions and responsibilities. For example, IMCs develop policies for schools in line with the vision and mission set by SSBs, and maintain effective liaison with SSBs to ensure the accomplishment of the mission. Moreover, the EDB has been putting in place monitoring and support measures, including conducting ESRs and other school inspections, scrutinising schools’ audited accounts, conducting regular audit inspections and school visits, and investigating complaints to ensure the quality of school education and proper use of public funds. In case malpractices are identified in schools, it will take appropriate intervention measures, including issuance of verbal or written advice and warning, and monitoring the progress of improvement measures. In addition, the EDB maintains partnership with SSBs to support schools with concerted efforts. In short, SSBs and IMCs generally have a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities under the SBM policy, and of their relationship with the EDB. They will seek assistance or support from the EDB whenever necessary to provide education services that suit students’ needs.
2.10 On the actual implementation of the SBM policy, the Task Force observes that schools with IMCs have, by and large, made a smooth changeover to the system and operation under IMCs and put in place a school-based mechanism for communication with major stakeholders.
After years of implementation of the SBM policy, schools have become conversant with the operation and acquired relevant experience. Most of them are now operated in a smooth, orderly and effective manner.
The efforts of aided schools in this regard are applauded by the Task
3 For example, starting from the 1998/99 school year and the 2014/15 school year, the Government has respectively provided a recurrent cash grant equivalent to the salary of a Clerical Assistant for public sector secondary and primary schools to enhance administrative support. In the 1999/2000 school year, to facilitate the implementation of SBM policy, a supplementary grant was provided for aided schools to cope with additional clerical and administrative support work.
Starting from the 2000/01 school year, schools may use the Capacity Enhancement Grant to hire outside services or recruit additional staff (such as clerks) to provide administrative support.
Force.
2.11 However, the Task Force reckons that there is still room for improvement in SBM. For example, governance in individual schools has been compromised as their managers lack the knowledge and skills necessary for school governance; and some supervisors fail to effectively perform their functions under the Education Ordinance. IMCs’ inability to govern effectively will affect the effectiveness of school operation and student learning. The Task Force considers whether school managers can fully perform their functions is crucial to the quality of school governance. To ensure the governance quality of IMCs, all parties involved should accurately grasp their respective functions and responsibilities, and the governance capabilities of major stakeholders should be enhanced.
2.12 As mentioned in paragraph 2.8(vi) above, the EDB has, in view of the extra workload arising from the implementation of the SBM policy, rolled out various measures to ease the administrative burden on teachers and schools. However, according to some schools, principals and teachers have to shoulder considerable administrative and non- teaching duties which have notably undermined their time and effort that can be devoted to enhancing learning and teaching, managing the school and caring for students. Having analysed and studied the evolution of school administration and management in recent years and examined the administrative support available, the Task Force finds it necessary to strengthen administrative support and streamline administrative procedures for schools and enhance schools’ administration and management capabilities, in a bid to unleash capacity for teachers and principals and enable them to focus on core teaching duties and take better care of student development.
2.13 The SBM framework is a participatory governance framework, under which schools are managed by IMCs. As a core element of SBM, IMCs comprise such major stakeholders as SSB representatives, independent members, school principals, teachers, parents and alumni. While most schools have put in place a school- based mechanism for communication with stakeholders, the Task Force opines that given the importance of major stakeholders’ participation to the realisation of SBM, IMCs and schools should strengthen their communication mechanisms to involve major stakeholders in school governance, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability and maintaining proper checks and balances that help take SBM forward in a more effective manner.
2.14 Taking account of the above considerations, the Task Force suggests that optimisation of SBM be explored along three broad areas:
(I) improving the quality of governance; (II) strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals; and (III) enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance. Considering that other than the EDB, SSBs also have a vital role to play in realising SBM, the Task Force has taken SSBs into account when formulating the improvement measures.
Summing up
2.15 Overall, the Task Force is of the view that with the accumulation of experience after years of implementation of the SBM policy, most schools are now operated in a smooth and orderly manner.
Upon examining the current implementation of the SBM policy as well as the views and concerns of stakeholders, the Task Force considers that measures to optimise SBM would cover three areas, i.e. improving the quality of governance, strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance.
2.16 Chapter 3 of this report will set out stakeholders’ views on the preliminary recommendations made by the Task Force to refine SBM.
Chapter 3 Consultation
Consultation work
3.1 Since its establishment in November 2017, the Task Force has convened a number of meetings to review the current implementation of the SBM policy in aided schools, and conducted in-depth study and analysis on how to further improve the quality of school governance and unleash capacity for teachers and principals by removing encumbrances.
3.2 In mid-2018, the Task Force put forward 17 preliminary recommendations that covered the following three major areas:
(I) improving the quality of governance; (II) strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals; and (III) enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance. Since SSBs have a vital role to play under the SBM policy, the Task Force has taken SSBs into account when formulating the improvement measures.
3.3 The Task Force consulted the education sector and stakeholders on its 17 preliminary recommendations from late June to mid-September 2018. The exercise included five consultation sessions for school supervisors, school managers, principals, teachers, parents, and representatives of SSBs and educational bodies in June and July. These sessions were attended by a total of 491 representatives.
3.4 Apart from conducting consultation sessions, the Task Force drew up a consultation paper for distribution to all aided schools and their SSBs in July 2018 to solicit their views. The consultation paper was also uploaded onto the EDB and relevant Government websites to invite the education sector and relevant stakeholders to submit their views in writing by mid-September 2018.
3.5 The Secretariat received a total of 12 written submissions from principal and teacher organisations, SSBs, IMCs and teachers. The views expressed by stakeholders on the media were also collated by the Secretariat.
3.6 Consultation paper and statistics on stakeholders’ participation in consultation sessions and written submission of views are respectively
in Appendices 4 and 5.
Majority views
3.7 In general, the education sector and stakeholders responded positively to the preliminary recommendations. In particular, they were unanimously in favour of providing additional manpower at the Executive Officer rank/additional resources to support school administration. Recommendations such as streamlining school administration, enhancing the training of school managers, providing additional support for IMCs, enhancing the SBM webpage, offering online self-study programmes to school managers and strengthening the communication between schools and stakeholders also gained wide support.
3.8 Among the preliminary recommendations put forward by the Task Force, three received the most attention, namely, (i) setting basic training targets for school managers; (ii) strengthening administration capabilities and streamlining school administration; and (iii) providing schools with additional manpower at the Executive Officer rank/additional resources. Views on these three aspects are set out in gist as follows:
(i) Setting basic training targets for school managers
The majority agreed that training could enable school managers to better perform their functions. It may help managers gain a deeper understanding of their roles and functions, acquaint themselves with school operation and management, and master the basic knowledge and skills necessary for school governance.
In addition, stakeholders in general considered the training of school supervisors most important since supervisors assumed a leadership and pivotal role in school governance and the operation of IMCs. The performance of supervisors has a direct impact on the quality of school governance. As such, school supervisors should have the abilities to lead and steer strategically and at the same time, should be knowledgeable about the keys to school governance, as well as school administration and management. For supervisors from non- education sectors, the need for comprehensive and intensive training is even greater.
Stakeholders agreed that training courses should be conducted in diverse modes (for example, through class participation or
online self-study) to cater for the needs of different school managers.
To improve the quality of governance, some suggested that corresponding training requirements should be set according to the background of school managers and the category they belonged to (for example, parent managers, teacher managers and / or managers who were newly-joined, less experienced and unfamiliar with education matters).
Respondents generally had reservations about making the basic training mandatory for all school managers. The major reason is that school managers, being unpaid, may not be able to spare time for training as most of them would be in full-time employment. Given their diverse backgrounds, experience and needs, it would be difficult to draw up a set of training targets to be universally applicable to school managers.
Furthermore, mandatory training would discourage those who aspire to join IMCs or undermine the willingness of parents and alumni to stand for election. This would render recruitment of managers even more difficult. On the other hand, some commented that the performance of school managers was crucial to the quality of school governance and supported making the basic training mandatory for school managers, especially school supervisors. Alternatively, it was suggested that a percentage of managers who had completed training within an IMC be set for this purpose.
Some respondents suggested that a commendation system be established for school managers to encourage more suitable persons to take up the role of school manager.
(ii) Strengthening administration capabilities and streamlining school administration
Respondents strongly supported streamlining the EDB’s requirements governing school administration. For example, the existing procurement requirements in respect of financial limits for tenders/quotations and the relevant procedures and rules may be relaxed. It was generally agreed that an SSB’s support in coordinating procurement of the items commonly required by its sponsored schools could help reduce the administrative workload of individual schools.
They suggested that the EDB should strengthen its support for school procurement, such as providing a supplier list and templates (for example, the works-related tendering) and setting up a technical support hotline to help schools with the drafting of procurement documents.
Moreover, it was suggested that the EDB strengthen support in other aspects as well. For example, the EDB may provide reference materials and set up an enquiry hotline to render better support in such general school administration matters as appointment of teachers and handling of contingencies.
There were views suggesting that all Government grants should take the form of Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant so that schools may deploy and use the funds flexibly according to their own needs. This could avoid excessive categorisation and restriction over the use of grants which would help reduce the schools administrative work involved in compiling the annual financial reports.
The EDB’s administrative requirements on schools should not be over-stringent. It should review the existing rules and procedures, in particular those in respect of complex administrative matters, such as audit inspection and school documentation, with a view to exploring room for streamlining.
Divisions within the EDB should cooperate with one another to realise consistently the principle of streamlining school administration.
(iii) Providing schools with additional manpower at Executive Officer rank/additional resources
Some suggested that the existing manpower for supporting school administration was inadequate. For instance, normally there are only two clerks in each primary or special school, and an Assistant Clerical Officer should have the academic qualifications up to the level of Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination/Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. The existing manpower strength was found not adequate for effectively handling the school administrative work which had been getting heavier and more complicated.
The sector and stakeholders shared the view that it should be a
priority measure to provide schools with additional manpower at the Executive Officer rank/additional resources to handle administrative work which had been getting more diversified and complicated (such as coordination in accounting, maintenance and repair, property management and staff recruitment) and to support the operation of IMCs, etc. This would help release capacity for principals and teachers so that they could focus on learning and teaching and take better care of student development.
Some respondents were of the view that the nature of administrative work would remain unchanged irrespective of the scale of school operation and the workload incurred would not vary significantly with the number of operating classes.
They thus opined that the number of classes should not be taken as the sole basis of calculation for manpower enhancement.
Some found it necessary for the EDB to create the third vice- principal post in schools to specifically oversee school administration and management. In the long run, the EDB may consider, similar to Mainland schools, adopting the arrangement of separation between teaching and administration streams in schools. However, some pointed out that teaching and administration could not be entirely separable. For example, the procurement of stores and services required by different subjects would inevitably involve the teachers concerned as well, in particular, when specifying the requirements of the goods/services to be procured and assessing whether the goods/services delivered fulfil the requirements set out in the tenders. Besides, some suggested that the EDB should further improve the teaching staff establishment of schools so as to reduce teachers’ workload.
3.9 Other views are summarised below:
To ensure the quality of school governance, it was suggested that basic qualification requirements (for example, those in respect of academic qualifications) should be set for school managers. Given the importance and complexity of school governance and IMC operation, it was suggested that persons to be appointed as school supervisors should have the experience of performing the role of school manager.
To enhance training for school managers, it was suggested that
training should primarily be knowledge-based and practical so as to help participants get a good grasp and ensure that they were fully aware of the need to observe the Codes of Aid when handling school matters. It was also suggested that the roles of different categories of school managers should be reviewed, with a view to enhancing managers’ understanding of and their functions in school operation. The EDB should arrange thematic training for different categories of school managers to enable stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of the functions that managers in their respective categories are expected to perform.
There were two preliminary recommendations to encourage stakeholders to take part in school governance: organising school and teacher consultative meetings regularly to maintain effective communication with teachers (as stakeholders in school management), and setting up committees under IMCs or co-opting outside members to handle important school matters.
While these two recommendations received some support, stakeholders in general considered that they should not be made mandatory because schools may have different circumstances and needs. Rather, provided that there are adequate channels for communication in the school-based context, schools/IMCs should have discretion whether or not to adopt such measures.
It was suggested that the EDB should provide recurrent funding to subsidise school-based/SSB-based training organised for school managers and support SSBs to assist the operation of their sponsored schools.
3.10 A summary of the views collected during consultation is in Appendix 6.
Summing up
3.11 The consultation results as summarised above reveal that except for the setting of basic training targets for school managers, all other preliminary recommendations in the consultation paper basically received the general support of the education sector and stakeholders.
After studying carefully the views collected, the Task Force has fine- tuned and revised its preliminary recommendations and formulated additional recommendations to better address the practical needs of the education sector and stakeholders, and put forward its recommendation
on the basic training targets for school managers upon balancing the prevailing circumstances of schools with the training needs of managers.
3.12 Chapter 4 of this report will set out and elaborate on the recommendations of the Task Force in detail.
Chapter 4 Recommendations
4.1 Upon detailed examination of the current implementation of SBM policy and the training and support provided for IMCs, the Task Force has put forward preliminary recommendations on three areas:
(I) improving the quality of governance; (II) strengthening the administration capabilities of schools and unleashing capacity for teachers and principals; and (III) enhancing the participation of major stakeholders in school governance, for more effective implementation of the SBM policy. Considering that other than the EDB, SSBs also have a vital role in realising the essence of SBM, the Task Force has taken SSBs into account when formulating the improvement measures.
4.2 As shown by the views collected during the consultation period, stakeholders generally support the Task Force’s preliminary recommendations. Having carefully considered and analysed the views collected, the Task Force has fine-tuned and revised its preliminary recommendations, formulated additional recommendations and advised the EDB to give priority to individual measures widely supported by stakeholders to address the pressing concerns of the education sector.
The recommendations made by the Task Force are set out in the ensuing paragraphs.
(I) Improving the quality of governance
4.3 Aided schools are managed by their IMCs in which the performance hinges largely on managers’ understanding of their functions as well as their ability, enthusiasm and readiness to discharge their responsibilities. To improve the quality of governance, the Task Force considers it necessary for all parties involved to accurately grasp their respective functions and responsibilities, and for major stakeholders to strengthen their governance capabilities.
Functions and responsibilities of different parties
4.4 The Task Force observes that most schools are now generally operated in a smooth manner under SBM. However, governance in some schools has been undermined as their school managers lack the knowledge and skills necessary for school management. In this
connection, the Task Force considers that training for school managers should be enhanced, in order that they can better understand their roles and functions and closely collaborate in school governance, thereby ensuring provision of quality education for students.
Getting well prepared for the mission
4.5 Education is a profession. While the management of schools and that of other organisations are basically governed by some general principles, there are indeed differences between them. To foster school development and ensure quality education for students, school managers need to be conversant with school operation and the latest developments in education that enable them to offer constructive advice on school matters and take a leading role in promoting sustainable development of schools, improving the quality of teaching and enhancing the learning effectiveness of students. To draw school managers’ attention to the need for and the importance of training, the Task Force recommends that the EDB should further elaborate to SSBs and IMCs how crucial school managers’ broad knowledge of school governance is in enhancing school managers’ governance capabilities, and encourage SSBs and IMCs to explain to school managers (including potential, newly registered, and serving managers) their roles, responsibilities and the significance of training and to motivate and help them to make plans for the pre-service, induction and continuous training in order to gain a deeper understanding of their roles and functions and to strengthen their competence in school governance. This helps to achieve synergy through stakeholders’
participation in school governance and put in place checks and balances to facilitate more effective implementation of the SBM policy.
Recommendation 1
The EDB is advised to further elaborate to SSBs and IMCs how crucial school managers’ broad knowledge of school governance is, and encourage SSBs and IMCs to motivate and help school managers (including potential, newly registered and serving managers) to make plans for the pre-service, induction and continuous training to strengthen their understanding of SBM.
This helps to achieve synergy through stakeholders’ participation in school governance and put in place checks and balances to facilitate more effective implementation of the SBM policy.
Enhancing training
4.6 At present, the EDB, SSBs and IMCs separately arrange training for school managers. School managers may receive different training in the light of their backgrounds, experience and needs. The training provided by the EDB, SSBs and IMCs carries the following features:
EDB: Different training programmes and learning activities are organised to cater for the general needs of school managers.
They enable school managers to learn about and comply with relevant regulations, grasp the key to strategic leadership and school governance and keep abreast of the latest developments in education policies.
SSBs: Training programmes are organised to convey their vision and mission, core values, etc. to school managers.
These SSB-based programmes not only cover the roles, functions and ethics of school managers, but also elaborate SSBs’ expectations of school managers’ contribution to the development of their sponsored schools under a common vision.
IMCs: School-based training is provided to brief school managers on schools’ characteristics, stakeholders’ needs, direction of school development, existing measures and mechanisms, etc., with a view to enabling school managers to fulfil their obligations with a thorough understanding of the schools.
The Task Force is of the view that since the training programmes provided by the EDB, SSBs and IMCs serve their respective purposes and complement one another, such a tripartite arrangement should remain to ensure that school managers may receive all-round training.
4.7 The Task Force recommends the following to further enhance training for school managers:
(i) EDB
Setting up focus groups to solicit views on genuine needs for training 4.8 In the light of stakeholders’ views collected, different stakeholders have different concerns and expectations of manager training. The Task Force considers that apart from collecting feedback
from school managers who have attended the training programmes or learning activities to review the training effectiveness and gather their views, the EDB could set up focus groups where necessary to have an in- depth study of the concerns of different stakeholders and the needs of school managers, and to collect stakeholders’ views on the contents and delivery modes of training in order to offer appropriate and diversified training for school managers with different backgrounds and experience to familiarise them with the IMC operation and enable them to contribute to more effective school governance.
Recommendation 2
The EDB is advised to set up focus groups to study the concerns of different stakeholders and the genuine needs of school managers for the purpose of providing appropriate and diversified training for school managers.
Enriching training contents and diversifying delivery modes
4.9 To equip school managers for the smooth operation of IMCs and the strengthening of school governance, the EDB organises training programmes and learning activities that mainly address the needs of school managers. These include structured manager training programmes4, refresher training, thematic seminars and sharing sessions.
The Task Force is of the view that the EDB could, on the basis of the existing provision, enrich training contents, diversify delivery modes and offer more training places so as to enhance school managers’
understanding of the respective functions and responsibilities of SSBs, IMCs and the EDB. In respect of training contents, the Task Force recommends that training should primarily be knowledge-based and practical, supplemented with case studies for illustration, so that school managers may better understand their roles and responsibilities to strengthen their understanding of the intent of relevant regulations and the importance of observing such regulations, and their knowledge of promoting effective governance through the monitoring and check-and- balance mechanism. This will foster school managers’ continuous professional development and improve the quality of school governance.
4 The EDB has commissioned tertiary institutions to organise structured manager training programmes, including:
(a) 15-hour programme for school supervisors;
(b) 15-hour programme for school managers who are not familiar with education and school operation; and
(c) Two 9-hour programmes for school managers who are familiar with education and school operation.
4.10 School managers may not be able to spare time for every training programme as most of them are in full-time employment. In this context, the Task Force recommends that the EDB should produce online self-learning packages so that school managers may explore relevant issues according to their own needs and pace to strengthen their governance capabilities.
Recommendation 3
To meet the training needs of school managers, the EDB should enrich training contents, adopt diversified delivery modes and offer more training places, and ensure that training is primarily knowledge-based and practical, supplemented with case studies for illustration. These will enable school managers to discharge their responsibilities in a more effective manner when they have acquired a better understanding of the functions of SSBs, IMCs and the EDB, the roles and responsibilities of school managers, the intent of relevant regulations and the importance of observing such regulations, and the role of the monitoring and check-and-balance mechanism in achieving effective governance. Moreover, the EDB should produce more online self-learning packages so that school managers may explore relevant issues according to their own needs and pace.
Optimising SBM webpage
4.11 To familiarise school managers with the major aspects of school administration and management, the Task Force considers that apart from providing training for school managers, the EDB should consolidate and re-arrange materials on the SBM webpage by, for example, enriching administrative guidelines and learning resources on various areas, and enhance the functionality of the webpage by improving its design and search engine to facilitate school managers’ browsing and easier access to the necessary information at their convenience.
4.12 At the consultation sessions, some of the school managers indicated that, due to their lack of experience in the education field, they found it difficult to participate in discussions and/or scrutinise school plans/reports at the commencement of their tenure. To facilitate newly registered managers without education background in discharging their responsibilities, the Task Force recommends that the EDB should devise handy online tools on functions and responsibilities of school managers
with an aim to enabling them to grasp the key to SBM and have an initial understanding of how to assess school performance.
4.13 The Take Force considers that the EDB could, through the focus groups mentioned in paragraph 4.8 above, have in-depth discussion with stakeholders to ascertain the genuine needs of school managers (especially newly registered managers) so as to gradually fine-tune the online tools. Moreover, to facilitate school managers in obtaining the information they need, the EDB should actively promote the optimised SBM webpage through such channels as training programmes, thematic seminars and sharing sessions.
Recommendation 4
The EDB is advised to optimise the SBM webpage and devise handy online tools covering essential information on school administration and governance for the easy reference of school managers, especially newly registered managers.
(ii) SSBs
Co-organising programmes with the EDB
4.14 The Task Force recognises that SSBs have a pivotal role in school governance because they understand the needs of their school managers and are in an advantageous position to motivate them to receive training. Apart from providing training for school managers on their own, SSBs may collaborate with the EDB to offer SSB-based training for school managers. This approach is worth consideration by SSBs since it can cater for the overall needs of school managers under an SSB, enable SSBs to schedule training sessions convenient to their managers and save them the effort of identifying suitable training materials and trainers.
Recommendation 5
SSBs are recommended to consider providing SSB-based training in collaboration with the EDB, which could optimise the use of EDB’s training resources and motivate more school managers who have the same vision and mission to receive training.
Culture of sharing
4.15 The Task Force considers the promotion of a culture of