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In response to media enquiries regarding a procession organised by the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union today (January 22), the Education and Manpower Bureau issued the following statement:
"Education reform is designed to cater for our students. All major policies have undergone thorough consultations, incorporated extensive views and secured support before being put in place progressively. The policies were not determined by individual officials," a bureau spokesman stressed.
"We realise that while teachers are striving for enhanced education services for students, an increased workload is inevitable. In this connection, the Government has offered extra resources to help schools cope with additional work. Over the past five years, the recurrent expenditure on primary and secondary education rose by 16.1% from $24.8 billion in 2000-01 to $28.8 billion in 2005-06."
"The enhanced manpower and financial resources include the creation of additional teaching posts as well as the provision of additional grants and school-based professional support for relieving teachers' workload. All these measures have been well-received," he said.
In the 2004-05 school year, the number of extra teachers or teaching assistants employed by schools with various grants has reached 2,350. The phased introduction of teaching by subject specialists in primary schools from the 2005-06 school year will also result in an addition of 900 teachers.
According to teacher statistics, the average teacher-to-student ratio has seen significant improvement. The ratio has improved from 1:22 in the 1999-2000 school year to 1:19 in primary schools in the 2004-05 school year, and from 1:19 to 1:18 in secondary schools over the same period.
"We have recently rolled out three new initiatives, namely the seeking of an additional $1.65 billion to top up the existing Capacity Enhancement Grant for a period of three years, the setting up of a Teachers' Helpline to offer assistance and counselling service, as well as an independent committee to look into teachers' workload and to make recommendations for further improving the situation," the spokesman said.
The bureau will continue to communicate and exchange views with various education bodies, school councils, school sponsoring bodies and other co-workers. All the parties concerned have a common wish for the smooth implementation of education reform.
Ends/Sunday, January 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:16
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