Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23)
Summary
The purpose of this circular memorandum is to provide secondary schools with information on the Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23).
Heads of secondary schools are requested to forward the following information to their careers guidance teachers so that they would inform all students, especially those who are applying for admission to local universities in the 2022/23 school year, of the Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23).
Details
2. The Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (“the Scholarship”) is one of a series of measures to enhance the professionalism of English teachers in Hong Kong. It aims to attract persons proficient in English to pursue relevant local bachelor degree programmes and / or teacher training programmes which will qualify them to become English teachers on graduation. The Scholarship is tenable for the normal duration of the intended study programmes. Upon graduation, awardees have to undertake to teach English full-time in primary or secondary schools in Hong Kong (day schools offering a formal curriculum). For awardees on undergraduate degree programmes, the duration of teaching obligation is three years.
3. The Scholarship (2022/23) will be open for application in August 2022.
Students who are interested in the Scholarship have to choose a relevant study programme when applying for admission to local universities in the 2022/23 school year. In this connection, please draw your students’ attention to the Scholarship (2022/23) and distribute to them copies of the attached letter (Annex 1) and the Information Sheet (Annex 2).
Enquiries
4. For enquiries about the Scholarship, please contact Ms Constance CHOW (Tel. 2892 5786) of the Professional Development and Training Division, Education Bureau.
Ms W P LEE
for Secretary for Education From: Secretary for Education
Ref.: (2) in EDB/LTQ/PRO/49 Pt.4 Date: 1 December 2021
To: Heads of all secondary schools
1 December 2021 Dear Students,
Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23)
I would like to introduce to you the Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23) and provide you with its details.
The Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (“the Scholarship”) is one of a series of measures to enhance the professionalism of English teachers in Hong Kong. It aims to attract persons who are proficient in English to pursue relevant local bachelor degree programmes and / or teacher training programmes which will qualify them to become English teachers on graduation.
The Scholarship is tenable for the normal duration of the intended study programmes. Upon graduation, awardees will have to undertake to teach English full-time in primary or secondary schools in Hong Kong (day schools offering a formal curriculum). For awardees on undergraduate degree programmes, the duration of teaching obligation is three years.
Only applicants who will pursue year one study in relevant study programmes starting from the 2022/23 school year are eligible to apply for the Scholarship. Hence, if you are interested in the Scholarship, it is important that you take note of this requirement and choose a relevant study
programme when applying for admission to local universities in the 2022/23 school year. The list of relevant study programmes can be found on the website of the Education Bureau (http://www.edb.gov.hk/scholarship).
Application for the Scholarship (2022/23) will be open in August 2022.
For details of the Scholarship, please refer to the Information Sheet for Secondary School Graduates of Local Student Status.
For enquiries, please contact Ms Constance CHOW (Tel. 2892 5786) of the Professional Development and Training Division, Education Bureau.
Ms W P LEE
for Secretary for Education
1
Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23) Information Sheet
for Secondary School Graduates of Local Student Status
Background
1. The Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (“the Scholarship”) is set up by the Education Bureau (EDB), the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) as one of a series of measures to enhance the professionalism of English teachers in Hong Kong.
2. The aim of the Scholarship is to attract persons proficient in English to pursue relevant local bachelor degree programmes and / or teacher training programmes which will qualify them to become English teachers on graduation.
Eligibility for Application
3. Both local and non-local students1 may apply for the Scholarship for Prospective English Teachers (2022/23). Information for local students interested in applying for a 5-year Scholarship is provided in the following paragraphs.
Non-local students should refer to the “Information Sheet for Secondary School Graduates and Undergraduates / Graduates of Universities of Non-local Student Status” posted on the EDB website (http://www.edb.gov.hk/scholarship).
4. Application is open to secondary school graduates who
(a) have attained Level 5 or above in English Language in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination, or equivalent2; and (b) will start pursuing year one study in relevant degree
programmes in local universities in the 2022/23 school year.
A list of such programmes can be found on the EDB website
1 “Non-local students” are persons, regardless of their nationalities, who require a student visa / entry permit issued by the Director of Immigration for the purpose of receiving education in Hong Kong.
2 The following results are accepted for applying for the Scholarship:
Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations (HKALE) – Grade B or above in Use of English (UE)
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – An overall score of Band 7 or above in the Academic Module
General Certificate of Education (GCE) Examinations – Grade B or above in AS Level English
International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme – Grade 5 or above in Higher Level English Language (A1 or A2)
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) – A minimum score of 600 (Paper-based) or 250 (Computer-based) or 100 (Internet-based)
National Joint College Entrance Examination (NJCEE) (全國普通高等學校統一考試, also known as Gaokao 高考) – A score of 130 or above in English
(http://www.edb.gov.hk/scholarship).
5. Broadly speaking, applicants should pursue one of the following programmes in a local university:
(a) a full-time Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree programme majoring in English; or
(b) a full-time Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education (BA & BEd) double degree programme majoring in English; or
(c) a full-time Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree programme majoring in English or a relevant subject (such as Linguistics, with English as the main language of study) followed immediately by a full-time / part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) programme also majoring in English.
Scholarship Amounts
6. The Scholarship is tenable for the normal duration of the study programme(s).
The Scholarship amounts are detailed in the following table:
Study programme Scholarship amounts for each awardee of local student status
BEd degree HK$50,000 per year
BA & BEd double degree HK$50,000 per year BA degree followed by
full-time / part-time PGDE
HK$50,000 per year (for BA degree programme);
and HK$50,000 (for the whole PGDE programme)
7. To have the Scholarship renewed every year, awardees are obliged to put forward good conduct and academic performance while complying with the terms and conditions of the Undertaking signed by them upon acceptance of the award of the Scholarship.
Application and Selection
8. Application for the Scholarship will be open in August 2022.
Details about the application procedure will be posted on the EDB website (http://www.edb.gov.hk/scholarship) in June 2022.
9. Applicants will be shortlisted for an interview on the basis of public examination results attained. The interviews are scheduled for September 2022. Attendance
3
is mandatory.
10. The Scholarship will be awarded to applicants whose performance is the best in all aspects. When all factors being considered are equal, priority will be given to applicants who intend to teach in primary schools, as indicated by the choice of their study programmes. Applicants will be informed of the selection results by the end of November 2022.
Teaching Obligation
11. Awardees should undertake to fulfil a teaching obligation by teaching English full-time in primary or secondary schools in Hong Kong (day schools offering a formal curriculum) immediately after graduation. The duration of the teaching obligation is three consecutive school years.
12. In the case of a BA degree programme awardee who has chosen to pursue a recognised 2-year part-time PGDE programme upon completion of the BA degree programme, his / her full-time engagement as an English teacher in a school mentioned above while studying shall be counted towards the fulfilment of the teaching obligation, on condition that he / she completes the PGDE programme as required.
Undertaking and Deed of Indemnity
13. Awardees are required to sign an Undertaking which delineates the terms and conditions that they should comply with. These include, but are not limited to, the requirements for awardees to:
(a) attain good conduct and academic standards required by the university concerned to complete the relevant study programme(s);
(b) (for BA degree programme awardees) pursue a PGDE programme majoring in English immediately upon graduation from the degree programme; and (c) fulfil the three-year teaching obligation after graduation.
14. At any point of time, when a breach of the Undertaking occurs,
(a) the Scholarship will cease to be paid for the remainder of a study programme;
and
(b) awardees will be required to repay to the HKSAR Government the Scholarship amounts received on an interest-free and, if applicable, pro rata basis.
However, these circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis and flexibility will be exercised for reasons of breaching the Undertaking not within the awardees’ control such as accidents, ill health, deaths, etc.
15. Each awardee has to nominate a person as his / her indemnifier. An indemnifier should be a person at or over 21 years of age who is gainfully employed, financially sound and able to provide a business / office address. Details of the qualifications of an indemnifier can be found in the Undertaking and the Deed of Indemnity. By signing the Deed of Indemnity, the indemnifier agrees to repay to the HKSAR Government the Scholarship amounts received by an awardee if the awardee fails to comply with the terms and conditions included in the Undertaking and is unable to repay the Scholarship amounts received.
Enquiries
16. For details about the relevant study programmes, please visit the websites of the local universities. Enquiries about the Scholarship can be sent to ltq@edb.gov.hk or directed to Ms Constance CHOW (Tel. 2892 5786) of the Professional Development and Training Division, EDB.
Education Bureau
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region December 2021
