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Enhancement Measures for
Turning Senior Secondary Curriculum Support Grant (SSCSG) and Career and Life Planning Grant (CLPG) into Regular Teaching Posts
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Q1: In the 2019/20 school year, may schools opt for retention of both the SSCSG and the CLPG or the conversion of just one of the grants into regular teaching posts?
A1: Considering that schools that opt for retention of grants may already have plans for the use of such grants, the EDB allows a transitional period of three school years from 2019/20 to 2021/22, during which schools may decide to convert the two grants into regular teaching posts in light of their own circumstances and actual needs. In other words, in the 2022/23 school year, all public sector secondary schools operating senior secondary classes should have converted both grants into regular teaching posts.
Q2: How is the number of regular teaching posts converted from the two grants calculated?
A2: The number of regular teaching posts converted from SSCSG is calculated according to the number of senior secondary classes (S4 to S6) approved every school year, i.e. 0.1 Graduate Master/Mistress (GM) for each of these classes. For example, a school with 12 approved senior secondary classes in the 2019/20 school year will be provided with 1.2 GMs. In a certain year, if there is a change in the number of approved senior secondary classes, the number of GM post(s) will be adjusted accordingly. As for CLPG, the provision of GM post converted from this grant will not be adjusted even if there is a change in the number of senior secondary classes approved.
However, the regular teaching post will be deleted if a school ceases to operate senior secondary classes.
Q3: What are the duties of the ‘Additional Graduate Teacher for Supporting the Senior Secondary Curriculum’?
A3: The SSCSG is provided mainly to enable schools to employ additional teaching staff for supporting the implementation of the Senior Secondary
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Curriculum. Therefore, the regular graduate teachers appointed through conversion of SSCSG are required to assist in the implementation and enhancement of the school-based Senior Secondary Curriculum. Having regard to their own context, schools may assign suitable duties to these graduate teachers in order to promote the development of the Senior Secondary Curriculum.
Q4: What are the duties of the ‘Additional Graduate Teacher for Supporting Career and Life Planning’?
A4: The additional regular graduate teachers appointed to support life planning education are required to assist in expanding and enriching career guidance service as well as strengthening the co-ordination of life planning education and the collaboration with the business sector. Through the coordinated arrangement of different life planning and career exploration activities, it is expected that these graduate teachers help students identify their interests, abilities and aspirations, and develop in them positive attitudes and values.
Moreover, they should also facilitate students’ understanding about different industries and study and career pathways, as well as setting personal goals, so that students can make informed choices about further studies and careers, and plan their future.
Q5: If the new regular teaching posts converted from the grants contain fractional parts, how will the fractional parts be handled?
A5: We will add the new teaching posts to the Basic Provision provided under teacher-to-class (T/C) ratios and any other additional teaching posts that can be counted towards the calculation of promotion post entitlement to arrive at the total number of promotion posts. The resultant fractional posts will be added up with the additional teaching posts provided under specific improvement programmes (e.g. GMs provided for supporting academic low achievers) and the Additional Provision. Whole number of the sum derived will not be counted towards the calculation of promotion post entitlement. Schools may follow the prevailing practice to encash the resultant fractional posts for the Fractional Post Cash Grant. Below are some examples for illustration purpose:
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Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Class Structure 3-3-3-3-3-3 4-4-4-4-4-4 5-5-5-5-5-5
(a) Basic Provision 33.3 44.4 55.5
(b) Regular teaching posts converted from SSCSG
0.9 1.2 1.5
(c) Subtotal = (a) + (b) 34.2 45.6 57.0
(d) Additional Provision (T/C ratio increased by 0.1 teacher per class starting from the 2017/18 school year)
1.8 2.4 3.0
(e) Additional GMs appointed to support academic low achievers
0.5 0.7 0
Total
= fractional parts of (c) + (d) + (e)
2.5 3.7 3.0
Whole number of the sum (not counted towards the calculation of promotion post entitlement)
2 3 3
Resultant fractional posts 0.5 0.7 0
Q6: When the grants have been turned into regular teaching posts, will the relevant posts be included in the approved teaching staff establishment that IMC schools are permitted to freeze?
A6: Yes. When the grants have been turned into regular teaching posts in IMC schools, the number of teaching posts in the approved teaching establishment that can be frozen will increase as a result. Schools may still opt to obtain an optional cash grant under Teacher Relief Grant by freezing up to 10% of the approved teaching establishment so as to flexibly deploy their resources, make plans for manpower deployment, arrange professional development for staff and organise learning activities for students according to their needs.
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Q7: After turning the SSCSG and the CLPG into regular teaching posts, are schools having joined the Voluntary Optimisation of Class Structure Scheme (VOCSS) and/or the Extended Retention Period for Surplus Teachers (ERP) Scheme required to use these posts to absorb surplus teachers?*
A7: If schools under the VOCSS have surplus teachers retained, they have to offset the staff-related resources involved, in order of priority, against the fractional teaching posts, SSCSG and provision of supply teachers.
After turning the SSCSG into regular teaching posts, schools will no longer be provided with the grant, and hence the arrangement of offsetting surplus teachers against the grant is not applicable. Besides, the regular teaching posts converted from the SSCSG need not be used to absorb the surplus teachers retained under the VOCSS. However, if schools opt to retain the SSCSG, they are required to offset the retained surplus teachers against this grant. As for CLPG, it is not specified as staff-related resources for offsetting surplus teachers. Therefore, the regular teaching posts converted from CLPG need not be used to absorb the surplus teachers retained under the VOCSS.
For schools with surplus teachers retained under the ERP Scheme, if they turn the grants into regular teaching posts after reduction in the number of approved S1 classes, they are not required to use the regular teaching posts converted to absorb the surplus teachers.
However, schools should note that under normal circumstances, whenever there are teaching vacancies arising from resignation or retirement of other regular teachers during the retention period of the VOCSS and the ERP Scheme, schools are required to fill the vacancies with the surplus teachers instead of employing new teachers. Under the current mechanism, schools with surplus teachers retained will have the provision of supply teachers offset accordingly.
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Q8： Subsequent to the conversion of the two grants into regular teaching posts, if schools have to reduce the number of approved classes after the September headcount, how should the surplus teachers so arisen be handled?*
A8： Under the prevailing arrangement, surplus teachers so arisen can be tolerated within that school year. Nevertheless, schools should rectify the surplus situation at the earliest opportune time. As with existing arrangement, schools with surplus teachers will have their provision of supply teachers offset accordingly. Schools may only employ supply teachers when, concurrently, the number of teachers on leave for three or more consecutive days exceeds the number of surplus teachers.
* Not applicable to special schools
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