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The Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, announced today (January 11) that the bureau would increase the provision of the Capacity Enhancement Grant (CEG) to relieve teachers' workload and render enhanced support to frontline teachers.
"Education reform is of paramount importance to our younger generation and it has started to bear fruit. With students' interests at heart, all stakeholders - the bureau, schools and teachers - have to make extra efforts and are faced with additional workload. However, better distribution of work will definitely help to improve the situation," Professor Li said.
"Over the past few years, CEG has been successful in reducing teachers' workload and was well-received by both schools and teachers. In view of this, we have decided to increase the provision of CEG by $1.65 billion for a period of three years. The provision for a secondary school will be increased by 1.5 times; and that for a primary school or special school will double.Ħħ
"We will also set up an independent committee, composed of education workers and relevant professionals, to look into teachers' workload in schools, administrative work in particular. The committee will come up with a report and make recommendations to the bureau with a view to further relieving their workload," he added.
"In addition, the bureau will establish a hotline to handle cases of school staff, including teachers and school heads, with respect to their work-related problems or heavy workload. We will look into the circumstances surrounding them, and will help analyse and solve the problems.Ħħ
The hotline (Tel: 2782 8307) will come into operation next Monday (January 16).
Ends/Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:30
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