Hong Kong's teacher professional training programme needs fine-tuning

Recently, there has been talk about the training and preparation Hong Kong teachers need to be competent at their job, which has grown much more sophisticated each year.

Teachers primarily need good knowledge and skills in teaching, learning and assessment. While they are expected to teach their subjects well, they are also expected to provide good pastoral care for students with regard to their diverse learning and developmental needs.

Since the introduction of the school-based management policy, teachers have become important stakeholders in their schools. Besides electing a representative to sit on the management committee under the new school governance structure, they must participate in groups such as student academic affairs and pastoral care committees to help keep the school functioning effectively.

Experienced teachers must also mentor novices to help them grow professionally. They may join external bodies to help advance professionalism, or involve themselves in other community endeavours as professionals.

These domains of teacher involvement in school education, and the attendant knowledge and skills, form the superstructure of a locally developed generic teacher competency framework, which has been a guiding policy document for teacher training and preparation programmes.

Also, the superstructure rests on a solid foundation of core education values, which embrace "belief that all students can learn", "love and care for students", "respect for diversity", "commitment and dedication to the profession", "collaboration, sharing and team spirit" and "passion for continuous learning and excellence".

Values are vital in guiding and promoting educational effort. At the deepest level is a basic premise that teachers can grow as human beings.