CODE OF AID FOR
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
(SEPTEMBER 1994)
CODE OF AID FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Contents Sections
Part I Introduction
Interpretation 1
Delegation of Power 2
Management of Aided Schools 3
Additional Managers 4
Minimum Number of Managers 5
Access to Accounts 6
Part II Grant of Aid
Calculation of Grant 7
Kinds of Grant 8
Permanent Secretary's Authority 9-12
Permanent Secretary to approve fees 13
Subscriptions 14
Method of payment of subscriptions 15
Expenditure of School Income 16
Acceptance of Donations, Rentals 17-18 Recurrent Grants
Salaries Grant 19
Approved Staff Establishments 20
Salaries and Increments 21-24
Leave 25-31
Supply Teachers & Temporary Replacements 32-33
Appointment of Administrative/Janitor Staff 34
Operating Expenses Block Grant 35
Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant 36
Rent and Rates Grant 37
Passages Grant 38
Non-Recurrent & Capital Grants 39-41
Insurance 42
Part III Administration of Aided Schools
Admission of Pupils 43
Suspension & Expulsion of Pupils 44
Rate of Repetition 45
Teaching Practice Arrangements 46
Use of School Premises 47
Appointment & Dismissal of Staff 48
Appointment of staff 49
Conditions of Appointment 50-56
Termination of Employment 57
Retirement 58
Promotion and regrading 59-60
Acting Appointments 61-62
Outside Duties 63
Provident Fund 64-65
School Accounts 66-75
Part IV Appendices
Part V Index
PURPOSE OF THE CODE I. INTRODUCTION Interpretation
1. (a) This Code of Aid prescribes the rules and conditions in accordance with which the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region promotes education by means of grants to such secondary schools as may be approved for this purpose by the Permanent Secretary for Education.
(b) In this Code of Aid, "Government" means the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; "Permanent Secretary" means the Permanent Secretary for Education.
Permanent Secretary may delegate powers
2. (a) A Deputy Secretary for Education may exercise any function of the Permanent Secretary under this Code of Aid.
(b) The Permanent Secretary may authorise any officer of the Education Bureau to exercise any function of the Permanent Secretary under any provision of this Code of Aid.
Management of aided schools
3. A school in receipt of aid under the terms of this Code of Aid shall be managed and conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Education Ordinance and of subsidiary legislation made under that Ordinance, and in compliance with the provisions of this Code of Aid and such instructions concerning aided schools as the Permanent Secretary may from time to time issue. An administrative guide for aided schools is in Appendix 1.
Permanent Secretary may appoint additional managers 4. If it appears to the Permanent Secretary -
(a) that a school is not being managed satisfactorily or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner; or
(b) that the composition of the School Management Committee is such that the school is not likely to be managed satisfactorily, or is such that the education of the pupils is not likely to be promoted in a proper manner; or
(c) that for any reason a school has no manager, he may appoint one or more persons to be additional managers of the school for such period as he thinks fit.
Minimum number of managers
5. The School Management Committee in receipt of aid under the terms of this Code of Aid shall consist of no less than five managers except in cases as approved by the Permanent Secretary.
Director of Audit and Commissioner Against Corruption to have right of access to records and accounts
6. As a condition of grant, the Director of Audit and Commissioner Against Corruption or any officer duly authorised by them may, if they consider it necessary in the public interest, have access to the records and accounts of a school in receipt of aid under the terms of this Code of Aid and to the records and accounts of any controlling or any other agencies to which money from the school is diverted which is directly or indirectly involved with the expenditure of public money, or special funds established for educational development out of income of such a school derived otherwise than from Government grants. In this connection, the staff of a school or of any controlling or any other agencies to which money from the school is diverted will be obliged to explain to the Director of Audit and Commissioner Against Corruption or to their authorised representatives, any matter relating to the receipt, expenditure or custody of money for which the school or any controlling or any other agencies to which money from the school is diverted or both are accountable in the public interest.
II. GRANT OF AID
Government aid and fees to be calculated so as to enable schools to provide education of an acceptable standard
7. The kinds of grant necessary to cover the normal expenditure of a school shall be calculated in such a way that such grants together with the income from tuition fees, normally the standard fees, should in general be sufficient to enable an aided school to provide education of a standard acceptable to the Permanent Secretary, subject to the provisions of this Code of Aid.
Grants of specified kinds
8. Aid to schools may consist of one or more of the following grants - (a) Recurrent Grants :
(i) Salaries Grant
(ii) Operating Expenses Block Grant
(iii)Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant (iv) Rent and Rates Grant
(v) Passages Grant
(b) Non-recurrent and Capital Grants
(c) Non-recurrent Grants for curriculum development Permanent Secretary to determine grants
9. (a) The Permanent Secretary shall, after making such inquiries as he considers necessary, determine to which schools grants are to be made, and shall determine the kind and amount of grant to be made to each such school.
(b) The Permanent Secretary may withdraw a grant wholly or in part if he is satisfied that the school to which the grant was made is no longer in need of such grant or part of such grant.
Powers of the Permanent Secretary to reduce or withdraw grants
10. (a) The Permanent Secretary may, if it appears to him that the School Management Committee is not managing the school satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner, or that the class structure is not being organised in such a manner as may be determined by the Permanent Secretary from time to time in accordance with Section 12(b) below, reduce or withdraw any grant made to such school, the Permanent Secretary shall cause a notice in writing to be served on the School Management Committee , setting out the grounds on which it appears to him that the school is not being managed satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner or that the class structure is not being organised in accordance with Section 12(b) below; and giving formal warning that consideration is being given to reduction or withdrawal of grant.
(b) If, after a period of three months from the date of the notice specified in (a), the Permanent Secretary is satisfied that the School Management Committee is not managing the school satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner, or that the class structure is not being organised in accordance with section 12(b) below, he shall cause a notice in writing to be served on the School Management Committee , stating his intention to reduce or withdraw the grant at the termination of a period of three months from the date of such notice.
(c) Notwithstanding (a) and (b) above, the Permanent Secretary may, in cases where he is satisfied that there has been serious financial irregularity, reduce or withdraw any grant as he deems fit. The Permanent Secretary may require the School Management Committee to refund to the Government all building, special expenditure or recurrent grants received, or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.
Grants to be refunded in certain circumstances
11. (a) If The School Management Committee wishes to cease to manage and conduct the school under the terms of this Code of Aid, it shall give to the Permanent Secretary three months' notice in writing of such intention, and may be required on the termination of such three months' notice, to refund to Government all Recurrent and Non-recurrent Grants or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.
(b) The Permanent Secretary may, if for any reason a school ceases to be granted aid under the terms of this Code of Aid, require the School Management Committee to refund to the Government all Recurrent and Non-recurrent Grants received, or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.
Permanent Secretary to approve expansion
12. (a) No additional aid shall be granted in respect of the expansion of an aided school, unless such expansion has received the approval of the Permanent Secretary in writing.
(b) The class structure of the school shall be such as may be determined by the Permanent Secretary from time to time in the light of public interest and with due regard to the accommodation and facilities available in the school and after full consultation with the School Management Committee.
Permanent Secretary to approve fees
13. Unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Permanent Secretary, no fees shall be charged
in a school in receipt of aid under the terms of this Code of Aid. (updated on 1 September 2009)
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Permanent Secretary may allow subscriptions to be charged
14. (a) The Permanent Secretary may permit a school to charge subscriptions for expenditure on school and educational needs. The amount of such subscriptions in each school shall be subject to the approval of the Permanent Secretary after consideration of the level of subscriptions pertaining in aided schools generally and the particular circumstances of the school.
(b) No subscriptions should be charged in Secondary 1 - 3. (updated on 1 September 2009) (c) A school may not transfer income arising from subscriptions to any other body, or to a fund separately kept by the sponsoring body for educational development or any other purpose, unless such transfer has been approved by the Permanent Secretary and his approval notified in writing.
(d) Schools are given the discretion to collect fines, charges and fees for specific purposes as may be determined by the Permanent Secretary from time to time. Any other collections will still require separate approval of the Permanent Secretary.
Method of payment of subscriptions
15. Unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Permanent Secretary, the amount of subscriptions shall be collected in ten equal instalments payable on or after the first school day of each of the months from September to June inclusive. However, Supervisors may, if they wish, require payment of the September instalment not earlier than 1 August. (updated on 1 September 2009)
Income to be used for provision of facilities in the school
16. Schools are given the discretion to use the subscriptions (Tong Fai) account to meet educational and school needs. The School Management Committee should consider requiring the school to draw up a list of items to be charged to the subscriptions (Tong Fai) account and providing procedural guides for their school to use the funds.
Acceptance of donations
17. (a) The acceptance of donations by schools should be approved by the School Management Committee. Prior approval from the Permanent Secretary is required only when the donations may incur recurrent Government expenditure. All such income must be properly reflected in the subscriptions account. (updated on 1 November 2013)
(b) The School Management Committee should note that before donations are accepted, it must be fully satisfied that there is no connection between the donation and any pupil's standing or possible future standing in the school and that offers of donations from commercial concerns cannot be interpreted in any way as inducements.
Other income to be taken into account
18. Where an aided school lets any part or all of its premises for any purposes, the rental or profit so received shall be credited to the school's accounts in such proportion as the Permanent
Secretary may determine.
RECURRENT GRANTS
Salaries Grant to cover approved salaries
19. (a) The approved Salaries Grant will be paid monthly and will consist of the approved salaries for all teaching staff, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists, school executive officers and laboratory technicians employed in accordance with the terms of this Code of Aid. To reconcile the grants already paid out with the actual approved expenditure, adjustment of over or under payment may be made from time to time, but the final adjustment for the accounting year, or the financial year as the case may be, will be made after the submission of audited annual accounts. (updated on 1 September 2019)
(b) The School Management Committee shall be responsible for the arrangement of rectifying any overpayment or underpayment of salaries with the staff concerned.
(updated on 1 November 2012)
(c) The payment of Salaries Grant in respect of staff provided for a particular purpose will be dependent on the effective carrying-out of that purpose.
Approved Establishment
20. Approved establishments for teachers and other staff are shown in Appendix 2.
Approved salary scales and allowances
21. Grant for salaries and allowances will be allowed at the rates laid down in Appendix 3 or as otherwise approved by the Permanent Secretary.
Date of commencement and of cessation of salaries of staff
22. Salaries of all staff shall normally commence from the date of assumption of full duties, and shall normally cease immediately after the last day of performance of full duties, except as provided for in Appendices 8 and 10. (updated on 1 November 2012)
Increments may be granted or withheld
23. (a) Increments in salary for staff will normally be given by the School Management Committee when they fall due. Increments for part-time teachers will be based on the due proportion of the full-time scale, and will be given on an annual basis when they fall due.
(b) When it appears to the School Management Committee in receipt of aid under the terms of this Code of Aid, that the service of a member of the staff has been unsatisfactory, the School Management Committee may, subject to approval by the Permanent Secretary, withhold an annual increment. In such case the School Management Committee shall notify the Permanent Secretary in writing of its intention to withhold the increment and its reasons for so doing and shall notify the member of staff in writing of its intention to withhold the increment. Such notification to the Permanent Secretary and to the member of staff shall normally be given three months before the incremental date.
Permanent Secretary may specify recognised experience for incremental credit on appointment
24. (a) On appointment to an aided school, a teacher shall receive incremental credit for full- time or part-time previous teaching experience on the basis of one increment for each year of full-time service or the equivalent in aggregated part-time service in -
(i) a government school, (ii) an aided school,
(iii) a caput school/school under the Direct Subsidy Scheme, (iv) an assisted private school on or after 1 January 1966, or
(v) a private school offering formal curriculum on or after 1 September 1971.
Service in assisted private schools prior to 1 January 1966 and in private schools offering formal curriculum prior to 1 September 1971 shall be credited on the basis of one increment for two years full time service or the equivalent in an aggregated part- time service. Only post-qualification experience which is supported by documentary evidence and acceptable to the Permanent Secretary shall be counted for the purpose of increments. Service in schools outside Hong Kong shall be assessed for the purpose of increments at the discretion of the Permanent Secretary.
(b) Incremental credit for experience on appointment in the case of educational psychologists and school-based speech therapists of a school may be awarded in accordance with the above principles, where applicable. (updated on 1 September 2019)
(c) School executive officers on appointment to an aided school shall receive incremental credit if the employees have worked, in or after the 2019/20 school year, as –
(i) school executive officer in aided schools and remunerated under the Salaries Grant or the School Executive Officer Grant;
(ii) school administrative executive in government schools under a non-civil service contract;
(iii) school executive officer in caput schools and DSS schools;
(iv) school executive officer hired by service providers to station in aided schools/caput schools/DSS schools. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Sick/maternity/special tuberculosis/paternity leave and paid leave as jurors or when required to appear in court as witnesses
25. In respect of teachers, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists, school executive officers and laboratory technicians, the School Management Committee may grant -
(a) in accordance with the conditions specified in Appendices 11 and 12, the following types of leave –
(i) sick leave (paid and no-pay);
(ii) maternity leave (paid and no-pay);
(iii) special tuberculosis leave (paid and no-pay); and (iv) paternity leave
(b) paid leave to those selected to serve as jurors and those required to appear in court as witnesses. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Permanent Secretary may approve paid study leave to teachers, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers
26. (a) A teacher in an aided school who is selected by the Permanent Secretary for a course of training may continue to receive full salary for the approved period of study leave.
(b) A teacher in an aided school attending such other course as the Permanent Secretary may have approved may receive, for the approved period of study leave, full salary or such proportion of full salary as the Permanent Secretary may determine. No application for paid study leave will be considered unless the prior approval of the Permanent Secretary has been obtained for the teacher to attend the course.
(c) Educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers will be granted the same study leave benefits as those for teaching staff. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Leave that requires prior approval of Permanent Secretary
27. (a) Prior approval of the Permanent Secretary is required in respect of the following types of leave to teachers, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers -
(i) no-pay leave other than no-pay sick/maternity/special tuberculosis leave;
(ii) study leave other than that provided under Section 26, or which has not been endorsed by the Permanent Secretary in advance; and
(iii) any other kinds of leave not specified in this Code of Aid.
(updated on 1 September 2019)
(b) The Permanent Secretary may approve the grant of no-pay leave under (a)(i) above to staff recommended for such leave by the School Management Committee. Such no-pay leave shall not be counted for the purpose of increments. (updated on 1 November 2012) (c) When the last day of such no-pay leave is followed by a Sunday or a gazetted public holiday, such Sunday or gazetted public holiday will be regarded as an extension of the period of no-pay leave.
(d) When the last day of such no-pay leave of a teacher is followed by the major school holidays, i.e. Christmas, Chinese New Year, Easter and Summer Vacation, payment of salary will resume on the day the teacher reports to school for duty, provided that it is neither a Sunday nor a gazetted public holiday. (updated on 1 November 2012)
(e) When the last day of such no-pay leave is followed by a school holiday, other than the major school holidays, payment of salary will resume on the day following the last day of such no-pay leave provided that it is neither a Sunday nor a gazetted public holiday.
(f) Where, however, no-pay leave has been granted as no-pay maternity, sick, or special tuberculosis leave, payment of salary will resume on the day following the last day of such no-pay leave, notwithstanding that the day following the last day of such no-pay leave may be a Sunday or a gazetted public holiday.
Special leave
28. (a) Normally special leave with pay will not be granted to teachers on account of personal affairs during the term. However, in exceptional cases, the School Management Committee may, grant special leave with pay for a maximum of 2 days per academic year to teachers on grounds of urgent private affairs of grave importance.
(b) The School Management Committee may also grant paid leave of not more than 14 days to any teacher for each academic year to represent HKSAR in national/international conferences or events such as the Asian Games and the Olympic Games; or being invited to present paper or speak at national/international conferences in connection with education or participating in training and camping exercises of Civil Aid Service, Auxiliary Medical Service or Auxiliary Police Force. Sufficient grounds and justifications should be produced to support the grant of paid leave. (updated on 12 January 2006)
Permanent Secretary may approve the grant of paid leave to Principal
29. The Permanent Secretary may approve the grant of paid study leave or leave for other specially approved purposes to the Principal of an aided school.
Leave for laboratory technicians, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers
30. (a) Laboratory technicians, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers will be granted full pay leave on an annual basis as provided for in Appendix 13A, 13B, 13C and 13D respectively. Such leave shall be taken during the major school holidays, subject to mutual agreement between the school and the staff.
No replacement will be granted for staff on such leave. (updated on 1 September 2019) (b) The School Management Committee may grant paternity leave up to 5 working days with full-pay to those laboratory technicians, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers paid out of Salaries Grant with not less than 40 weeks’ continuous service immediately before taking the paternity leave.
Schools are required to follow the administration arrangements of paternity leave as set out in the prevailing circular available on the Education Bureau homepage. (Updated on 1 September 2019)
Endorsement of records of leave granted and inspection of leave records
31. (a) Records of leave that the School Management Committee may grant to teachers shall be submitted in August each year to the Permanent Secretary, who will signify his approval to the leave by endorsing the relevant leave records, provided that he is satisfied that the School Management Committee has considered each leave application with supporting documents in accordance with the conditions provided in this Code, the Employment Ordinance and the instruction he may from time to time issue.
(updated on 12 January 2006)
(b) Records of leave granted to other staff should be endorsed by the Supervisor on annual basis. (updated on 1 November 2012)
(c) Schools should keep the leave records of their staff up-to-date. These records shall be available for inspection by officers authorised by the Permanent Secretary as and when
required. (updated on 1 November 2012) Employment of supply teachers
32. (a) The Principal may, on behalf of the School Management Committee, employ supply teachers on a daily basis to substitute for teachers who are absent on approved leave for three consecutive calendar days or more and claim reimbursement of salaries.
Application for reimbursement of the salaries of supply teachers shall be made in a prescribed form.
(b) Such a supply teacher shall be of the same grade as, or of a lower grade than, the teacher for whom he is substituting; except that a non-graduate may be engaged to replace an unqualified teacher. A supply teacher is normally paid on fixed daily rates as the Permanent Secretary may determine.
(c) For the purpose of this section, teaching staff shall include laboratory technicians.
Supply laboratory technicians shall be paid the daily rate of a non-graduate teacher, if they hold an approved Laboratory Technician Certificate or equivalent, otherwise the daily rate of an unqualified teacher shall be paid.
(d) Service as supply teaching or non-teaching staff on a daily basis shall not be counted for the purpose of increments or regarded as service for any other purposes.
Employment of temporary replacements
33. (a) The School Management Committee may approve the employment of temporary replacements on monthly terms of the appropriate grade for Principals, teaching staff and laboratory technicians who have been granted maternity leave, paid sick leave, paid study leave or no-pay leave for a period not less than 90 days.
(b) A temporary replacement on monthly terms may also be approved to fill a vacant teaching post in circumstances where it appears to the Permanent Secretary that the appointment of a supply teacher under the terms of Section 32 of this Code of Aid would be inappropriate.
(c) The School Management Committee may approve the employment of temporary replacement for educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers who have been granted the following leave for a period not less than 30 days: paid sick leave, paid leave for other purposes, paid maternity leave, paid study leave or no-pay leave. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Appointment of administrative and janitor staff
34. (a) The School Management Committee shall be responsible for the appointment, dismissal, salaries and terms of service of administrative and janitor staff, and the salaries of these non-teaching staff shall be paid out of the Administration Grant. The basis of calculation of the Grant is stated in Appendix 14 Attachment A.
(b) The School Management Committee shall notify the Permanent Secretary promptly of the change of administrative or janitor staff and specify the effective date.
Recurrent block grant to cover operating expenses
35. (a) Schools will be provided with the Operating Expenses Block Grant to meet their operating expenses. The Grant consists of various non-salary recurrent grants except those items of expenditure which are disbursed on an actual claim or reimbursement basis. It comprises a General Domain and a Special Domain. Schools are free to set flexibly the allocations for each constituent grant under the General Domain, but funds in the Special Domain can only be used for the specified purposes. Surplus of the General Domain can be used to top up expenditure on Special Domain items and items chargeable to other government subsidies outside the Grant. The rates of the Grant will be adjusted annually in accordance with the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index. Schools are allowed to retain unspent funds up to 12 months’ provision of the Grant. Given the funding flexibility provided under the Grant, schools are required to put in place formal procedures for financial planning, monitoring and evaluation of results. Details of the Grant are set out in Appendix 14.
Recurrent block grant to cover furniture and equipment items
36. (a) The Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant is a recurrent grant for purchasing furniture and equipment items to meet the needs of schools and students. The Grant also covers maintenance/repairs fees for furniture and equipment items and insurance premium for non-standard furniture and equipment items for school portions. It will be disbursed to schools in a single payment annually before the commencement of each school year on a per-class-per-annum basis and will be adjusted annually in accordance with the movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index. A new school will be paid the Grant in full three years after the commencement of its operation and when the Education Bureau has approved the closure of its Set-up Fund (New Grant) Account.
(b) A school can retain surplus up to five times of the provision of the prevailing level of the Grant. Details of the Grant are set out at Appendix 15.
Permanent Secretary may approve reimbursement of rent and rates
37. The Permanent Secretary may approve reimbursement of rent, government rent and rates actually paid for school purposes except for government rent and rates for the area of the school tuckshop.
Passages for teachers on overseas terms
38. Grants for passages for teachers employed on overseas terms shall be paid in accordance with the provisions of Appendix 10.
NON-RECURRENT & CAPITAL GRANTS
Permanent Secretary may approve non-recurrent and capital grants
39. (a) The Permanent Secretary may approve grants in respect of items such as major repairs and furniture and equipment requirements not covered by Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant. The grant shall be based on the approved tendered cost or actual cost, whichever is the less.
Permanent Secretary may approve initial grant for school-based psychological service (b) The Permanent Secretary may approve, for the purpose of providing school-based
educational psychology service, an initial one-off set up grant per educational
psychologist post for the purchase of furniture, test material, reference books, educational programmes and packages, and information technology equipment, at the rate as announced in the relevant circular. A separate ledger would be necessary to record the details of expenses charged to this grant. This grant should be completely utilized within 12 months in which the first educational psychologist is appointed to the given post. Any surplus will then be clawed back. The initial grant shall be given once only to each educational psychologist post, regardless of the base school. (updated on 1 November 2012)
Permanent Secretary may approve initial grant for Enhanced School-based Speech Therapy Service
(c) The Permanent Secretary may approve, for the purpose of providing Enhanced School- based Speech Therapy Service, an initial one-off set up grant for schools to implement Enhanced School-based Speech Therapy Service for the purchase of furniture, assessment kits, therapeutic materials, reference books and information technology equipment, at the rate as announced in the relevant circular. A separate ledger would be necessary to record the details of expenses charged to this grant. The grant shall be allocated only once to each school. (updated on 1 September 2020)
Permanent Secretary may approve capital grant in respect of a new school
40. The Permanent Secretary may approve capital grant for buildings, furniture and equipment in respect of a new school, or of extension to or reprovisioning of an existing school, administered under the terms of this Code of Aid.
41. Procedures in respect of Sections 39 and 40 of this Code of Aid are shown in Appendices 16, 17 and 18.
Insurance
42. (a) The Government shall carry the risk of damage or loss to the school premises of an aided school including furniture and equipment caused by fire, natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, flooding, etc. and other perils such as an aircraft crash, explosion, impact by any road vehicle, sprinkler leakage or bursting or overflowing of water tanks, apparatus and pipes, riots or malicious acts of any person, and damage caused by construction or excavation work by a third party adjacent to the school or in its vicinity; loss of standard items by theft and burglary; and loss of cash (government funds only) in transit. Details concerning the procedures for assessment and settlement of claims for damage, destruction or loss of standard items in the cases mentioned above and related security measures are set out in Appendix 20. However, schools should themselves decide whether to take out insurance for non-school portions and buildings and above-standard or non-standard items of furniture and equipment purchased out of their own funds, and the premiums shall be met from schools' own funds. For above-standard or non-standard items of furniture and equipment for school portions acquired out of the Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant, the premiums for the insurance can be charged to the Grant.
(b) The Government shall take out insurance for public liabilities and employees' compensation as required by the Employees' Compensation Ordinance on behalf of all aided schools under a Block Insurance Policy. However, staff members whose salaries
are not subvented by the Education Bureau are not covered by the employees’
compensation insurance of the Block Insurance Policy. Schools should arrange their own insurance to cover this type of staff, if any.
(c) In addition to (b) above, the Block Insurance Policy includes a section on group personal accident insurance for students, which provides a nominal benefit to students who suffer from Accidental Death or Permanent Disablement whilst participating in any school activities.
(d) Schools may, on behalf of parents, arrange a separate additional cover for group personal accidents of students with any insurance company, if necessary. However, parents should be given full discretion in accepting the arrangement, if any. In addition, the group personal accident insurance under the Block Insurance Policy should not be seen as a comprehensive personal insurance coverage for students. If parents wish to have a comprehensive personal insurance coverage for their children, they may acquire it separately at their own costs from any insurance company.
III. ADMINISTRATION OF AIDED SCHOOLS Permanent Secretary to regulate admission of pupils
43. Admission and allocation of place to aided secondary schools shall be regulated as the Permanent Secretary may determine, and as shown in Appendix 1.
Permanent Secretary to regulate suspension and expulsion of pupils
44. Suspension and expulsion of pupils from an aided school shall be regulated as the Permanent Secretary may determine, and as shown in Appendix 1.
Permanent Secretary to prescribe the rate of repetition
45. The Permanent Secretary may after consultation with the schools councils from time to time prescribe a maximum rate of repetition either generally or at particular education levels.
Schools to accept teaching practice arrangements
46. Schools should co-operate, whenever possible, in the training of teachers by accepting for teaching practice student teachers under-going training in the Hong Kong Institute of Education and the local universities. Consultation with the institutions concerned should be arranged prior to the placement of student teachers.
Use of school premises
47. (a) The premises of an aided school shall be used only for the approved activities of such school, except as may be permitted in writing by the Permanent Secretary.
(b) Classrooms and ancillary facilities should be made available at the request of the Permanent Secretary for the operation of evening courses run by non-profit-making school operators commissioned by the Education Bureau. In making his requests, the Permanent Secretary will take into consideration any special difficulties and existing commitments, and will fully consult the school authorities concerned. In this connection, schools concerned may charge appropriate remuneration in respect of hire charges and electricity charges.
Permanent Secretary to be notified of appointment and dismissal of staff
48. (a) Appointment and dismissal of staff shall be in accordance with regulations 76, 77 and 78 of the Education Regulations, in conformity with this Code of Aid and in accordance with such instructions as the Permanent Secretary may from time to time issue.
(b) All appointments, resignations and dismissal shall be promptly notified to the Permanent Secretary. Such notification shall be in writing, stating the effective dates and indicating, where applicable, the period of notice given. Schools should issue to staff leaving the employment a document certifying the particulars of his/her employment including, wherever applicable, the monthly salary, salary point, incremental date and leave balance.
(c) For the purpose of processing applications from teachers for withdrawal of provident fund, the School Management Committee shall also inform the Permanent Secretary when a teacher -
(i) is compulsorily retired, or dismissed or the contract is terminated (on completion or otherwise); or
(ii) retires voluntarily, resigns, or terminates the contract (on completion or otherwise), in order to avoid compulsory retirement, dismissal, or contract termination, on account of professional misconduct or being convicted of an offence.
Appointment of staff
49. (a) The School Management Committee may approve the appointment of staff paid out of the Salaries Grant in accordance with the provisions of this Code of Aid and any requirements the Permanent Secretary may determine, except for the following staff whose appointment shall be subject to the approval of the Permanent Secretary -
(i) Principal;
(ii) direct appointment of staff (excluding educational psychologists) to promotion ranks;
(iii) teachers on overseas terms;
(iv) unqualified teachers;
(v) staff above the age of sixty; and
(vi) temporary Native-speaking English Teachers.
(b) The Principal shall check the eligibility of a person for appointment in accordance with the requirements of this Code of Aid and any instructions the Permanent Secretary may from time to time issue. Schools shall be responsible for assessing the salaries of staff.
The Principal shall verify the salary assessment and inform the Permanent Secretary of the salary particulars of staff paid out of the Salaries Grant in a prescribed form for grant purposes. (updated on 1 November 2012)
Teachers and other staff to be medically examined
50. (a) All teachers (other than supply teachers), educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and laboratory technicians shall, before appointment, undergo a medical examination including a chest X-ray examination by a registered medical practitioner. (updated on 1 September 2019)
(b) Serving registered teacher on transfer from one aided school to another without break of service will not be required to attend an X-ray examination or present a medical certificate on appointment.
(c) The School Management Committee may exempt the following employees from pre- employment X-ray examination -
(i) Staff members who can show that they have undergone a chest X-ray examination not more than twelve months before their dates of appointment. The X-ray should not show signs of active tuberculosis.
(ii) Staff members in possession of a certificate from a registered medical practitioner, confirming that they are pregnant. Exemption granted to staff in this category will continue until the end of their subsequent maternity leave, at which time they should be instructed to make their own arrangements for X-ray examination.
(d) The purpose of the above examinations is not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant with a disability. Employers are advised to note the relevant provisions of the Code of Practice on Employment issued by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Principal to verify qualifications, experience and date of birth
51. (a) The Principal of an aided school shall inquire into, examine and verify the certificates and testimonials of an applicant for appointment as a teacher, an educational psychologist, a school-based speech therapist or a school executive officer, and shall verify any previous experience claimed by such applicant, making reference for this purpose to the Principal of the school at which such applicant may last have been employed. (updated on 1 September 2019)
(b) The Principal of an aided school shall verify the date of birth of any person employed as a staff in such school, and shall require such person to produce for inspection the Hong Kong Identity Card, a birth certificate, statutory declaration or such other documents as may appear necessary for this purpose. (updated on 1 November 2012) (c) Schools shall keep all copies of certificates and testimonials, appointment forms and
any other relevant documents in respect of all staff employed for inspection as and when required.
Qualifications of teachers, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists, school executive officers and laboratory technicians
52. Qualifications required for eligibility for employment in an aided school as a teacher, an educational psychologist, a school-based speech therapist, a school executive officer or a laboratory technician, are shown in Appendices 4 and 5. (updated on 1 September 2019) Preference to be given to persons possessing professional qualifications
53. The School Management Committee shall, in considering the appointment of teaching staff, seek to give preference to persons who, in addition to the minimum qualification for employment, possess a professional qualification in education.
Temporary employment of unqualified persons as teachers
54. (a) Subject to the approval of the Permanent Secretary, the Management Committee of an aided school may, if a qualified person is not available to fill a vacant teaching post,
temporarily employ an unqualified person as a teacher. The salary for such an unqualified teacher shall be as shown in Appendix 3.
(b) Notwithstanding (a), no person shall be employed to teach in a workshop unless qualified to teach technological subjects. (updated on 1 September 2017)
Contract of service; letter of appointment
55. (a) A teacher shall, on appointment to an aided school, be furnished with a contract of service and, in addition, or alternatively, a letter of appointment. Such contract of service or letter of appointment shall be signed by the Supervisor of the school and shall be countersigned by the teacher on appointment.
(b) Such contract of service or letter of appointment shall not be subject to annual renewal.
Schools may make it clear in the contract that, subject to the agreement between the teacher concerned and the School Management Committee, the contract may be renewed at regular intervals.
(c) Such contract of service or letter of appointment shall specify : -
(i) the name of the school and of the employer, this being the School Management Committee or, if any school has only one manager, that manager;
(ii) the date from which the appointment is to have effect;
(iii) requirements, if any, relating to probation;
(iv) the conditions of service and, if applicable, any specific language proficiency requirements;
(v) the salary to be paid on commencement of the appointment, and any salary scale relating to the post including the annual incremental date;
(vi) whether such teacher is to contribute to a provident fund; and if so, what such contribution shall be;
(vii) the entitlement of such teacher to paid sick leave, maternity leave or paternity leave; (updated on 1 September 2016)
(viii) conditions of termination of appointment and the minimum period of notice of termination of the contract to be given by either party wishing to terminate such contract as specified under Section 57;
(ix) the conditions relating to payment of salary on the resignation or dismissal of such teacher as specified under Section 57 and in the case of a teacher recruited overseas, conditions relating to recovery of cost of passage;
(x) that such teacher shall act in accordance with the terms of the Education Ordinance and of subsidiary legislation made under that Ordinance, of this Code of Aid and of such instructions as the Permanent Secretary may from time to time issue regarding the conduct of aided schools.
(d) In the case of educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school
executive officers, the appointment should follow the principles outlined above, where applicable. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Appointment to be initially on probation
56. (a) A teacher on first appointment to an aided school shall serve a probationary period of two years, after which the employment of such teacher shall be permanent, subject to such provisions regarding termination of employment as may be contained in such teacher's contract of service or letter of appointment.
(b) In the case of educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers, the arrangement should follow the principles outlined above, where applicable. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Termination of employment
57. (a) The employment of a teacher who is serving a period of probation shall be terminable by the giving of one month's notice either by the School Management Committee at which such teacher is employed, or by the teacher.
(b) The employment of an unqualified teacher under the terms of Section 54 of this Code of Aid shall be terminable by the giving of one month's notice either by the School Management Committee or by the teacher, subject to such provisions regarding termination of employment as may be contained in such teacher's contract of service or letter of appointment.
(c) The employment of a teacher who has satisfactorily completed a probationary period, shall be terminable by the giving of three months' notice in writing by the School Management Committee or by the teacher.
(d) A teacher employed for a period of not less than two years as specified in a contract of service or letter of appointment shall, at least three months before the expiry of such specified period, inform the School Management Committee whether or not he wishes to seek a renewal of the contract of service. The School Management Committee shall similarly, at least three months before the expiry of such specified period, inform the teacher whether or not it intends to propose renewal of the contract of service relating to his employment.
(e) A teacher who terminates his employment without having given such notice of intention so to terminate as may be required by the terms of this Code of Aid or of the contract of service or letter of appointment relating to his employment, shall be liable to pay one month's salary in lieu of notice to be credited to the school's Salaries Grant Account. Nevertheless, the School Management Committee may waive the said payment if the teacher's explanation is justified and inform the Permanent Secretary of such a waiver and the reasons thereof.
(f) The School Management Committee may, subject to the provisions of the Employment Ordinance, suspend a teacher from his normal duties for a period of not exceeding 14 days under the following circumstances : -
(i) in cases where criminal proceedings of a serious nature have been, or are
likely to be instituted;
(ii) in cases where the teacher's serious misconduct is under investigation and it would be against the interest of the school for him to continue to teach in the classroom.
In case of (i), where the criminal proceedings are not concluded within 14 days, the period of suspension on half pay may be extended till the end of such proceedings. The School Management Committee may decide whether or not to suspend the teacher on half pay and such payment of salaries shall be subject to the approval of the Permanent Secretary.
(g) The School Management Committee shall only dismiss a teacher for good and sufficient reasons (see Appendices 6 and 7). A teacher shall be liable to summary dismissal if it appears to the School Management Committee that he has been convicted of a criminal offence or has committed a grave breach of duty.
(h) In the case of educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists and school executive officers, the arrangement should follow the principles outlined above, where applicable. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Retirement
58. (a) The Principal, teachers, educational psychologists, school-based speech therapists, school executive officers and laboratory technicians shall retire at the end of the school year in which they reach the age of sixty.
(b) Under exceptional circumstances, the Permanent Secretary may, on the recommendation of The School Management Committee and subject to the submission of a satisfactory medical certificate as to fitness, permit the Principal, any teacher, educational psychologist, school-based speech therapist, school executive officers and laboratory technician to continue in service for a period of one school year after the end of that in which he reaches the age of sixty, and for further periods each of one school year, up to the end of the school year in which he reaches the age of sixty-five.
(updated on 1 September 2019) Promotion and regrading
59. (a) Except for promotion to the post of the Principal and direct entry to a promotion post which shall be subject to the approval of the Permanent Secretary, the School Management Committee may approve promotion of all staff members and regrading of non-graduate teachers to take up a post of the graduate grade in accordance with the provisions in this Code of Aid.
(b) The School Management Committee is required to put in place fair and open procedures in processing all cases of promotion and regrading in compliance with any such instructions as the Permanent Secretary may from time to time issue. The Supervisor shall inform the Education Bureau in a prescribed form of all cases of promotion and regrading.
60. The conditions under which teaching and other staff may become eligible for promotion to
a higher rank of appointment are set out at Appendix 9. A teacher in service who becomes eligible for appointment to a higher grade by reason of the acquisition of further qualifications will be considered for appointment to the higher grade. However, a school may not exceed the overall entitlement in respect of grades and ranks of appointment as shown at Appendix 2.
Acting Appointments
61. The School Management Committee may, in accordance with the rules set out in Appendix 9, approve the appointment of full-time graduate teachers to fill vacant posts in the rank of senior Graduate Master/Mistress on an acting basis. Allowance for such acting appointment will be treated as salary for provident fund purposes.
62. The School Management Committee may also approve full-time regular teachers for acting appointments to approved functional posts when such posts are left vacant arising from approved leave or wastage. Acting allowance will only be granted if a teacher has taken up an acting appointment for 30 consecutive calendar days or more. The approved functional posts in aided secondary schools cover posts in the rank of Principal I, Principal II, Principal Graduate Master/Mistress and Senior Graduate Master/Mistress. Arrangements for acting appointments and allowances are set out in Appendix 3. Such acting allowances will be treated as salary for provident fund purposes. (updated on 1 September 2019)
Outside Duties
63. Staff employed full-time in a school administered under the terms of this Code of Aid shall not engage in outside duties except with the prior approval of the Supervisor, who must be satisfied that such duties contribute to the public good and are not such as to interfere with the efficient performance of the staff’s normal duties. Records of such approval should be kept by the school. (updated on 1 November 2012)
Provident Fund
64. (a) A teacher who contributes to the Grant Schools Provident Fund or to the Subsidised Schools provident Fund is subject to the provisions of the Grant Schools Provident Fund Rules or the Subsidised Schools Provident Fund Rules made under the Education Ordinance. The benefits which a teacher-contributor may receive from the funds are briefly reproduced from the Rules in Appendix 19.
(b) A teacher who does not contribute to the Grant Schools Provident Fund or to the Subsidised Schools Provident Fund, and who contributes to another provident or superannuation fund approved by the Permanent Secretary may on submission of original receipts in respect of his contributions to such funds, receive from the Government a donation in respect of 50% of his contributions to such funds or 5% of his basic salary in Hong Kong, whichever is the less.
(c) Temporary teachers appointed for 60 days or more and new teachers over the age of 55 on first appointment are required to join the Mandatory Provident Fund scheme.
65. Unless specifically exempted under the Mandatory Provident Fund Scheme Ordinance or employed for less than 60 days, all non-teaching staff are required to contribute to a registered Mandatory Provident Fund scheme or a scheme registered under the Occupational Retirement Scheme Ordinance.
Supervisors to keep accounts
66. (a) The Supervisor of an aided school shall be responsible for keeping proper books of accounts, which shall comprise : -
(i) cash book for government grants and cash book for school funds;
(ii) petty cash book for government funds and school funds;
(iii) attendance register and register of fees/subscriptions/other charges showing inter alia receipt number and amount of tuition fees and subscriptions and other charges, if any, against the name of each pupil;
(iv) revenue receipt counterfoil and Daily Collection Summary in respect of tuition fees, subscriptions, other charges and any other income;
(v) payment vouchers in respect of all expenditure;
(vi) a register of capital assets;
(vii) a register of non-recurrent grants -building; and a register of non-recurrent grants - furniture and equipment;
(viii)a general ledger and subsidiary ledgers showing accounts in respect of all items of recurrent income and expenditure;
(ix) provident fund records for individual staff;
(x) register of hire of school accommodation;
(xi) register of donations; and
(xii) stock and sales records for exercise books, stationery, etc., if necessary
(b) All books of accounts, receipts, counterfoils, and vouchers shall at all reasonable times be available for inspection by the Permanent Secretary or officer authorised by him in that behalf. Records of a permanent nature, e.g., annual accounts, inventories, records of capital expenditure and Government non-recurrent subsidies, records in connection with school building funds/donations, etc., shall not be destroyed without the prior approval of the Permanent Secretary. However, the following records may be destroyed after a certain period of retention, as specified below : -
(A) Minimum period of retention - 7 years :
Books of accounts, i.e., cash books, Ledgers, etc.
All types of vouchers, bank statements.
(B) Minimum period of retention - 2 years :
Quarterly returns (duplicates), Paysheets (duplicates), Fees receipts/school attendance registers,
Register of hire of school accommodation.
Accounts for reprovisioning schools
(c) Separate books of accounts should be kept for the phasing-out and the phasing-in
schools under the reprovisioning programme.
Accounts not to include provision for depreciation
67. An aided school shall not make any provision in its accounts for depreciation. Expenditure in respect of a capital asset shall be debited to the relevant capital asset account and shall not be debited to an income and expenditure account.
Supervisor to be responsible for bank account
68. (a) The Supervisor of an aided school shall keep bank accounts in the name of the school, one of which accounts shall be kept solely in respect of moneys received from the Government.
(b) All disbursements shall, as far as possible, be made by cheque, which shall be signed by the Supervisor and, where there are two or more registered managers, by one other registered manager in addition to the Supervisor.
(c) The Supervisor may keep a reasonable cash balance as specified by the Permanent Secretary from time to time to meet small payments. Alternatively, a further account could be opened for this purpose with cheques signed by the Principal and the Deputy Principal of the school, duly authorised by the School Management Committee.
School funds to be kept separate
69. Tuition fees or subscriptions or other sums received by a school from the Government or other sources shall not, in any circumstances, be paid into a bank account kept in the name of the Supervisor or other person or persons, whether or not such person or persons are members of the School Management Committee or teaching staff, but shall be paid into the bank account maintained in the name of the school.
Submission of accounts
70. (a) The Permanent Secretary may require the Supervisor of an aided school to submit accounts at such times and in such manner as he may determine.
(b) The accounts of an aided school shall, unless the Permanent Secretary in writing otherwise permits, be audited by certified public accountants/public accountants registered under the Professional Accountants Ordinance; and the audit fee shall be charged against the school's School and Class Grant Account.
(c) The accounting year covered by the audited accounts shall be from the first day of September of one year to the thirty-first day of August of the next. Schools which are unable to prepare their annual accounts on this basis may apply in writing to the Permanent Secretary for following the traditional financial year basis.
(d) For the purposes of this Code of Aid, the financial year shall be from the first day of April of one year to the thirty-first day of March of the next.
Permanent Secretary may withhold grant if accounts not submitted
71. The Permanent Secretary may, if a school fails to submit annual accounts or delays the submission of such accounts without reasonable cause, temporarily withhold payment of such proportion of grant made monthly to the school as he shall determine.
Subscriptions used for development to be separately accounted for
72. (a) If the Permanent Secretary has permitted an aided school under the terms of paragraph (c) of Section 14 of this Code of Aid, to transfer subscriptions to a fund separately kept by the sponsoring body for educational development or other purpose, an audited annual statement of accounts in respect of such fund shall be prepared. The accounting year, to which such accounts shall refer, shall be from the first day of September of one year to the thirty-first day of August of the next, except for financial year basis as approved by the Permanent Secretary.
(b) The Supervisor of such school, when submitting annual accounts of the school as required by the terms of Section 70 of this Code of Aid, shall attach thereto the audited accounts in respect of such fund; and these accounts shall refer to the same period of time as those of the school, to which they are attached.
Accounts relating to private section of a school to be kept separately
73. (a) Where the School Management Committee operates a private section or boarding section, which does not receive financial assistance under this Code of Aid, the accounts of such private section or boarding section shall be kept separately from those of the aided section and audited; and shall specify any subvention received from departments of the Government other than the Education Bureau. The accounting year, to which such accounts shall refer, shall be from the first day of September of one year to the thirty-first day of August of the next, except for financial year basis as approved by the Permanent Secretary.
(b) The Supervisor of an aided school shall, when submitting account, also submit accounts relating to any private section or boarding section of such school; and these accounts shall refer to the same period of time as those of the aided school.
Recurrent grants to be refunded and accounts submitted, if school ceases to be aided 74. The School Management Committee shall, in the event of that school's ceasing to be an aided
school under the terms of this Code of Aid, forthwith repay to the Government any unexpended portion of recurrent grants made to the school, and submit a full set of duly audited accounts for the period up to and including the last day of operation of that school as an aided school.
Outgoing Supervisor to hand over accounts
75. (a) If at any time for any cause the Supervisor of an aided school ceases to act as such, he shall hand over all accounts and records relating to the school, together with any cash belonging to the school which may be in his charge, to such other person as the Permanent Secretary may approve as Supervisor, or, pending the Permanent Secretary's approval of such other person as Supervisor, to the School Management Committee.
(b) The Supervisor of an aided school, on ceasing to act as such, shall prepare a certificate listing all accounts and records relating to the school and any cash belonging to the school which may have been in his charge. This certificate shall be signed by the outgoing Supervisor and by either such other person as the Permanent Secretary may approve as Supervisor, or pending the Permanent Secretary's approval of such other person as Supervisor, by a majority of the members of the School Management Committee. A copy of this certificate together with a certificate prepared by the bank
at which the school's accounts are kept, and showing the state of such accounts on the date at which the outgoing Supervisor ceased to act as Supervisor, shall be submitted by the School Management Committee to the Permanent Secretary.
(c) The Permanent Secretary may require the School Management Committee to submit, in such form and within such period of time as he shall prescribe, full accounts in respect of the period up to and including the day on which the outgoing Supervisor ceased to act as Supervisor.
(d) In the event of the Permanent Secretary having required such accounts to be submitted, and the School Management Committee having failed to submit them, the Permanent Secretary may require the outgoing Supervisor and the members of the School Management Committee, or such of them as he shall determine, severally or jointly to refund to the Government such proportion of grants made to the school during the period in which the outgoing Supervisor acted as Supervisor as he shall assess.
Appendices to Code of Aid for Secondary Schools Appendix
1 Administrative Guide
2 Staff establishment of aided secondary schools
Attachment A - Teaching establishment in aided secondary schools Attachment B - Language improvement measures
Attachment B1 - Principles of calculation of additional teachers of English Attachment C - Manning scale of Laboratory Technicians
3 Salary scales and allowances
4 Qualifications required for grades of appointment in aided secondary schools Attachment A - Principal I
Attachment B - Principal II
Attachment C - Principal Graduate Master/Mistress Attachment D - Senior Graduate Master/Mistress Attachment E - Graduate Master/Mistress
Attachment F - Principal Assistant Master/Mistress Attachment G - Senior Assistant Master/Mistress Attachment H - Assistant Master/Mistress
Attachment I - Certificated Master/Mistress Attachment J - Educational Psychologist I Attachment K - Educational Psychologist II Attachment L - School-based Speech Therapists Attachment M - School Executive Officers
5 Terms of employment for laboratory technicians in aided schools 6 Teaching staff's contracts in aided schools
7 Procedure to be followed in case of dismissal or termination of appointment of a teacher 8 Payment of salaries on appointment, resignation, retirement or termination of appointment 9 Conditions for promotion and acting appointments in aided secondary schools
10 Conditions for employment of teachers on overseas terms and passage entitlement 11 Grant of sick leave, special tuberculosis leave and paternity leave
12 Grant of maternity leave
13A Paid annual leave entitled by laboratory technicians
13B Paid annual leave entitled by educational psychologists 13C Paid annual leave entitled by school-based speech therapist 13D Paid annual leave entitled by school executive officers 14 Operating Expenses Block Grant
Attachment A - Administration Grant 15 Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant 16 Non-recurrent grants (Furniture and equipment) 17 Non-recurrent grants (Major Repairs)
18 Notes on Building grants
19 Grant/Subsidised Schools Provident Fund 20. School assets and settlement of claims
(updated on 1 September 2019)
