Hong Kong anti-graft body issues rules for kindergartens as they prepare to receive hefty government subsidy
Eligible institutions will receive HK$6.7 billion a year in public money from the coming school year to implement free kindergarten education
Yvonne Mui Yee-yu, who handles graft prevention at the Independent Commission Against Corruption, said while guidelines were already in place for schools from kindergarten to secondary level, there was a need to introduce a sample code of conduct specially for kindergartens to “improve the standard of integrity” as a considerable amount of public money – HK$6.7 billion a year – would be channelled to them.
Mui, who is the department’s principal corruption prevention officer, said unlike primary and secondary schools, parents tended to support activities in kindergartens more actively as the students were younger.
“If this closer relationship is not handled well, it will affect the kindergarten’s reputation or even break the law,” Mui said.
The sample code includes guidelines on soliciting and accepting advantages and managing conflict of interest.
But a look at the new guidelines revealed that several issues are left to the discretion of kindergartens.
For example, while the sample code generally prohibits staff from soliciting or accepting any advantage from parents, staff can accept advertising or promotional gifts or souvenirs with a nominal value when they are offered on a voluntary basis. What is nominal is open to interpretation as no upper limit is given in the code.
In terms of student admission, the onus also lies with management to set out a clear policy and put in place an open, fair and competitive mechanism. Mui said the department could include more guidelines on admission after the implementation of the free education scheme.
In 2014, a kindergarten principal was taken to court for allegedly accepting HK$6,500 in designer clothes from a pupil’s mother in return for special treatment for her son.
While the principal was cleared of corruption charges as the court found no evidence to show the gift amounted to bribery, the kindergarten still drew criticism for a policy that allowed staff to accept gifts if refusal would cause embarrassment. But it said the staff member had to buy books or toys with a similar value for the pupil.
Kwok Chor-kiu, chairwoman of the Tai Po and North District Early Childhood Education Principal Association, welcomed the sample code.
She noted that while she wanted to have guidance, it was also good to have some flexibility.
The Education Bureau has asked kindergartens intending to participate in the free education scheme to take reference from the sample code of conduct.
