Ref.: (30) in EDB(KGA2)/PDT/1/1 Pt.1 Government of the HKSAR Education Bureau
8 June 2018
Education Bureau Circular No. 8/2018 Kindergarten Education Scheme
Enhancing Professional Competency of KG Principals and Teachers
[Note: This circular should be read by –
(a) Supervisors and Heads of Kindergartens, Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres and Schools with Kindergarten Classes joining the kindergarten education scheme – for action; and
(b) Head of Sections – for information.]
SUMMARY
This circular informs kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres and schools with kindergarten classes (collectively referred to as “KGs” hereafter) joining the KG education scheme (hereafter referred to as “Scheme”) of details of the continuous professional development (CPD) policy for KG principals and teachers (hereafter referred to as “CPD Policy”) and the training targets for catering for the diverse needs of students to be implemented by the Education Bureau (EDB) starting from the 2018/19 school year. The content is applicable to KGs joining the Scheme (Scheme-KGs). Heads of KGs should ensure that this circular is circulated to facilitate their early action in planning their professional development activities.
BACKGROUND
2. The government has implemented the new KG education policy starting from the 2017/18 school year. One of the focus areas of the policy is to enhance the professional competency of principals and teachers through various means. Specific measures include, among others, developing a CPD policy and strengthening teachers’ capability of catering for the diverse needs of students (including non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students and students at risk of developmental delay).
3. While initial professional training in early childhood education has helped KG teachers build a solid foundation in KG education, CPD could help teachers deepen relevant knowledge, broaden their horizon and synthesize their knowledge and experience in different areas for holistically enhancing their professional competency. In this connection, starting from the 2018/19 school year, EDB will implement the CPD Policy and set training targets to cater for the diverse needs of students amongst Scheme-KGs.
4 . To support students with special needs, the Labour and Welfare Bureau launched the
multi-disciplinary service teams (comprising of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, clinical psychologists/ educational psychologists, social workers and special child care workers). The Government has set aside an additional provision for subsidising the 16 operating non-governmental organisations to continue providing the service places under the Pilot Scheme in the 2017/18 school year. The Pilot Scheme will be regularised from the 2018/19 school year onwards and the number of service places will be increased from about 3 000 to 7 000 in two years. Scheme-KGs should make good use of the teacher-pupil ratio of 1:11 to enhance the collaboration with the service teams.
5. In supporting the NCS students, the updated Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide (2017) has enhanced content on supporting NCS children in learning Chinese. In the meantime, teacher training and school-based professional support are also strengthened, all KGs admitting NCS students (regardless of the number) may apply for enrolment. Besides, Scheme-KGs admitting 8 or more NCS students may apply for an additional grant comparable to the salary of one KG teacher.
DETAILS
Continuous Professional Development Policy
6. EDB is of a view that teachers’ CPD should be promoted progressively. It is appreciated that KG principals and teachers need time to adapt to the changes in the early years of implementation of the new KG education policy. We have also drawn reference from CPD policies in other regions/countries and considered the wide diversity of the KG sector. For professional development at the level of individual principals and teachers, as a start, a soft target will be set at 60 hours of CPD activities for each KG principal and teacher for every three-year cycle starting from the 2018/19 school year (i.e. the first cycle would be from the 2018/19 to 2020/21 school years).
7. As regard the modes of CPD activities, they may include both structured learning (e.g.
taking courses, participating in seminars / talks, etc.) and other CPD activities (e.g. mentoring, conducting action research, professional voluntary services relating to KG education, etc.).
Principals and teachers may participate in diversified modes of CPD activities according to their needs.
8. Operational details such as criteria for calculating CPD hours, balance of structured learning and other CPD activities, support and follow up actions, etc. should be devised on a school basis. EDB will continue to provide diversified professional development programmes, details of which will be uploaded onto EDB webpage. We encourage principals and teachers to enrol relevant courses through Training Calendar System of EDB website, and to participate in professional development activities provided by other organisations (e.g. universities, non-governmental organisations, professional organisations, etc.).
9. On resource deployment, by raising the requirement in teacher-pupil ratio from 1:15 (including the principal) to 1:11 (principal not included) under the Scheme, teachers will have more rooms to participate in various professional development activities. While Scheme-KGs have flexibility to maintain their usual arrangements in learning and teaching activities1, they
1 It has been a standing requirement that the minimum number of teachers to be present and on duty in a KG shall, in relation to the number of pupils present at any time in the KG, be one teacher for every 15 pupils or part thereof.
The principal of the KG can be counted as one of the teaching staff and at least one teacher has to be present in a class.
may flexibly deploy human resources (e.g. arranging “free periods” for teachers as appropriate) so far as the requirement in overall teacher-pupil ratio of 1:11 is complied. On the other hand, element of supply teachers for releasing teachers to attend training has been included in the basic unit subsidy. KGs should deploy the resources as needed for employing supply teachers for releasing teachers to participate in CPD activities.
10. Besides, we also encourage KGs to make optimal use of other resources related to teachers’ professional development, such as applying for “Course Fee Refund for Teachers”
(for details, please refer to EDB Circular Memorandum (EDBCM) No. 16/2018 issued on 20 February 2018) and course fee reimbursement under “Pilot Scheme on Self-paced e-Learning Course Fee Reimbursement for Teachers under T-excel@hk Project” (for details, please refer to EDBCM No. 31/2018 issued on 28 February 2018).
Training on Catering for the Diverse Needs of Children Training Targets
11. As mentioned in paragraphs 2 to 5 above, under the new policy, we have strengthened the support for catering for students with developmental needs and NCS students through various measures. Relevant training for teachers is essential to optimise the benefits of these support measures. Hence, at the level of school development and needs, we have set the following training targets:
(i) For catering for students with developmental needs, each Scheme-KG should have at least one teacher completed the Basic Course as recognised by EDB by the 2020/21 school year.
(ii) For supporting NCS students, each Scheme-KG receiving the NCS grant should have at least one teacher completed the basic course as recognised by EDB by the 2018/19 school year; and this will be extended to all Scheme-KGs having admitted NCS students (regardless of the number) by the 2020/21 school year.
12. Recognised courses include publicly-funded courses or courses with active involvement of the EDB (a list of recognised courses as at June 2018 is at Appendix 1). We will continue to provide relevant training courses, and timely update the list of recognised courses, which would be uploaded to the EDB website. For courses to be progressively rolled out by EDB, details (including course contents, dates, and whether they would be accepted as a recognised course, etc.) will be uploaded to the Training Calendar System of EDB website and teachers may apply for participation through this internet platform. We will take into account the experiences gained from offering the basic courses, and considering the arrangement of advanced courses.
13. CPD for principals and teachers (paragraphs 6 to 10 above) and training on catering for students with diverse needs (paragraphs 11 to 12 above) are professional training at different levels (the former at individual teacher level whereas the latter at school level). In principle, participation in the recognised courses mentioned in paragraphs 11 to 12 should not be counted in the 60-hour CPD activities in every 3 years.
Supply Teacher Grant
14. A supply teacher grant will be provided for Scheme-KGs starting from the 2018/19 school year to facilitate KGs arranging teachers to attend the specified training courses on catering for students with developmental needs and specified training courses on supporting NCS students. Key points to note are as follows:
(i) The teacher concerned should attend the specified recognised course provided by EDB for three or more consecutive days. The details (including whether the training is recognised, whether it is eligible for supply teacher grant, etc.) will be stated in the letters to KGs or the internet platform inviting teachers for enrolment;
(ii) As a general rule, if a teacher cannot attend the training course for three consecutive calendar days (except for sick leave), the KG will not be eligible for the grant;
(iii) The supply teacher grant will be disbursed to KGs on a reimbursement basis; and (iv) KGs are required to maintain a separate ledger account to record all the income and
expenditure concerned.
15. In principle, KGs should employ persons possessing Certificate in Early Childhood Education [C(ECE)] or above qualifications to serve as supply teachers. If a KG employs a person possessing other qualifications because of special circumstances (such as recruitment difficulties), the KG should provide adequate support to ensure the quality of the education service. In the 2018/19 school year, the provisional rates of the grant are $916 per day2 for supply teachers possessing C(ECE) and $357 for supply teachers with other qualifications.
16. KGs applying for the supply teacher grant in the 2018/19 school year should complete and submit the relevant application form (a sample is at Appendix 2)3 to EDB together with the original of the salary payment receipt signed by the supply teacher (at Appendix 3) and a copy of his/her qualification document. All applications should reach EDB before 31 August of the school year concerned.
BRIEFING SESSIONS
17. To enable KG principals and teachers to have a better understanding about details of the CPD Policy and the training on catering for the diverse needs of students, we have incorporated this topic in the briefing sessions in late-June this year. We have reserved two seats for each KG. All KG principals and teacher representatives are invited to attend the briefing sessions, details of which are at Appendix 4. It will also be uploaded onto the Training Calendar (Course ID: KGE020180054) on EDB’s website.
KGs NOT JOINING THE SCHEME
18. We encourage KGs not joining the Scheme to make reference to the content of this
2 Calculation of the grant rate is based on the salary range of basic rank teachers. The current salary ranges for teaching staff in the 2018/19 school year are provisional figures and will be adjusted in accordance to the civil service pay adjustment in 2018. The confirmed figures will be announced once available. The grant rate for KG supply teachers possessing C(ECE) will then be adjusted accordingly. It will also be adjusted annually thereafter with reference to the adjustment of the salary ranges. For supply teachers with other qualifications, the rate for the 2018/19 school year will remain unchanged (that is $357 per day), and will be adjusted annually based on the changes in Composite Consumer Price Index.
3 Once the rate for supply teacher grant has been confirmed, we will update the daily rate in Appendix 2. The revised Appendix 2 will be uploaded to the EDB website for use of KGs.
circular in strengthening principals’ and teachers’ professional development and enhancing the quality of KG education. KGs should note that the supply teacher grant is only applicable to Scheme-KGs.
ENQUIRIES
19. For enquiries about this circular, please contact EDB as follows:
For CPD Policy 2892 6415
For training on catering for students with developmental needs
3698 3995 For training on supporting NCS
students
3540 6869
Mrs CHAN SIU Suk-fan for Permanent Secretary for Education
6
Appendix 1
Recognised Courses on Catering for Students with Developmental Needs and on Supporting NCS Students
(up to June 2018)
The following publicly-funded courses and courses with active involvement of EDB are recognised for meeting the training targets on catering for students with developmental needs and NCS students:
Names of Courses Organising Institutions
Catering for students with developmental needs Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership and Special Needs
Education University of Hong Kong
Professional Development Programme for Kindergarten Teachers on Catering for Learner Diversity
Heep Hong Society
Professional Development Programme on Catering for Students with Diverse Needs in Kindergartens
Education University of Hong Kong
Certificate in Professional Development Programme on Catering for Diverse Needs of Young Children
Education University of Hong Kong
Supporting NCS students
Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Early Childhood Education) in Leadership and Non-Chinese Speaking Children
Education University of Hong Kong
Certificate in Professional Development Programme on the Teaching of Chinese Language for non-Chinese Speaking Children
Education University of Hong Kong
Learning and Teaching for Non-Chinese Speaking Students－ Professional Development Programme for Kindergarten Teachers
Centre for Advancement of Chinese Language Education and Research, Faculty of Education, the University of Hong Kong Teaching Chinese to Multicultural Learners
(Introduction and Foundation), and
Teaching Chinese to Multicultural Learners (Practice)41
Education University of Hong Kong
Remarks: EDB will continue to provide relevant training courses, the details (including course contents, dates, and whether they would be accepted as a recognized course, etc.) will be uploaded to the Training Calendar System of EDB website by stages. We will also timely update the above list of recognised courses and upload to the EDB website.
41Teachers have to complete both courses for recognition purpose.
Appendix 2 To: Kindergarten Administration 2 Section, Education Bureau
Room 2329, 23/F, Wu Chung House 213 Queen’s Road East,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
2018/19 school year
Kindergartens joining the Kindergarten (KG) Education Scheme
Application Form for Supply Teacher Grant（Form 1）
(For Courses on Catering for Students with Developmental Needs)
Name of KG：______________________________________________________ District：______________ School Code：_______________
I wish to apply for Supply Teacher Grant1 for the teacher(s) listed below participating in the specified recognised course(s) provided by EDB with the details as follows:
Teacher(s) participating in the professional
development courses Training period Name of supply teacher
Whether the supply teacher possesses
C(ECE) (Y/N)
Supply Period No. of working
days2
Daily rate
$
Salary amount applied
$
Remarks (For use of EDB) Name Course(s) attended and name of
organising institution(s) From To From To
Total $ Note:
1 The daily rates for supply teacher grant in the 2018/19 are: $916 per day for supply teachers possessing C(ECE) or above qualifications and $357 for teachers with other qualifications.
2. The number of working days should exclude Sunday, Saturday (except for long whole-day kindergartens), public holidays and school holidays.
Sample
8
I wish to confirm that the salary has been paid to the supply teacher according to the appropriate daily rate and no repeated application has been made.
The following supporting document(s) is/are enclosed:
Qualification document(s) of the supply teacher(s)
Original copy of the salary payment receipt(s) of the supply teacher(s)
Signature of Supervisor/School Head : Name of Supervisor/School Head : Date of Application :
Contact Person : Telephone Number :
School chop
To: Kindergarten Administration 2 Section, Education Bureau Room 2329, 23/F, Wu Chung House
213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
2018/19 school year
Kindergartens joining the Kindergarten (KG) Education Scheme
Application Form for Supply Teacher Grant（Form 2）
(For Courses on Supporting NCS Students)
Name of KG：______________________________________________________ District：______________ School Code：_______________
I wish to apply for Supply Teacher Grant1 for the teacher(s) listed below participating in the specified recognised course(s) provided by EDB with the details as follows:
Teacher(s) participating in the professional
development courses Training period Name of supply teacher
Whether the supply teacher possesses
C(ECE) (Y/N)
Supply Period No. of working
days2
Daily rate
$
Salary amount applied
$
Remarks (For use of EDB) Name Course(s) attended and name of
organising institution(s) From To From To
Total $ Note:
1
Sample
10
I wish to confirm that the salary has been paid to the supply teacher according to the appropriate daily rate and no repeated application has been made.
The following supporting document(s) is/are enclosed:
Qualification document(s) of the supply teacher(s)
Original copy of the salary payment receipt(s) of the supply teacher(s)
Signature of Supervisor/School Head : Name of Supervisor/School Head : Date of Application :
Contact Person : Telephone Number :
School chop
Appendix 3
Salary Payment Receipt of the Supply Teacher
As (Name of Teacher Receiving Training) of this KG had to attend the training course (Name of Training Course)
organised by EDB (Training Period) from to *, during which the following supply teacher was employed to carry out the daily duties of the aforesaid teacher. The total salary at the amount of $______________ was paid to the supply teacher.
Name of Supply Teacher：
Employment Period：From to No. of Working Days：
Daily Rate：$
Total Salary Amount：
I acknowledge receipt of the above mentioned amount：
Name of Supply Teacher Signature Date
* I confirm that during the above period, the teacher receiving training has not taken any leave
has taken sick leave on _________________________, a medical certificate is enclosed
Signature of School Head:
Name of Kindergarten:
Date:
School chop
12
Education Bureau (EDB) Circular No. 8/2018 Appendix 4
Kindergarten Education Scheme Briefing Sessions
The new kindergarten (KG) education scheme has been implemented starting from the 2017/18 school year. In the 2018/19 school year, we will continue to implement the existing measures and strengthen the development in the following areas:
(1) KG principals’ and teachers’ professional competency (2) Strategies for promoting parent education
(3) Admission arrangements for Nursery (K1) Classes
2. To enable KGs to have a better understanding of the relevant details, 4 identical briefing sessions will be organised in June 2018, details of which are as follows:
Region Date Time Venue
Hong Kong Island 20 June 2018
(Wednesday) 2:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Lecture Theatre (WB), 4/F West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
New Territories East
21 June 2018
(Thursday) 9:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Kowloon 22 June 2018
(Friday) 9:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
New Territories West
25 June 2018
(Monday) 9:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
3. Rundown of the briefing sessions is as follows:
Time Content Speaker
8:55 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. /
1:55 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Registration ---
9:00 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. / 2:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Admission arrangements for K1 classes for the 2019/20 school year and Q&A
Representatives from EDB and related
organisations 10:50 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
3:50 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon / 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Enhancing KG principals’ and teachers’
professional competency 12:00 noon – 12:15 p.m. /
5:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Strategies for promoting parent education 12:15 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. /
5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. Q&A
4. EDB has reserved seats for all KGs and no prior registration is required. Each KG should assign not more than two representatives (the principal of the KG should be included) to attend the above session of the respective region. KG representative(s) is/are required to complete the form below and present it to EDB staff at the entrance of the venue for seating arrangement.
5. The briefing sessions will be conducted in Cantonese.
6. The briefing session will be cancelled on the day when Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is issued. In case Typhoon Signal No. 8 or above or Black Rainstorm Warning Signal is cancelled two hours before a briefing session, the session will be conducted as scheduled.
---
Kindergarten Education Scheme
Briefing Session (2): Enhancing Professional Competency of KG Principals and Teachers
The following staff of our school _____________________________________________ (KG name) will attend the briefing session on “Enhancing Professional Competency of KG Principals and Teachers”:
Principal/Representative：
Teacher representative：
Signature of Principal：
School Name of Principal (in English)：
Chop (in Chinese)：
Date：
