I REFER to the allegation by Ms Ida Lee (South China Morning Post, February 15) that the Education Department has not acted on the Report by the Ad Hoc Sub-committee on Pre-primary Education of the Board of Education (April 1994). This is not true and I would like to clarify any misunderstanding Ms Lee may have on this matter.
The Board of Education made a number of recommendations: The board recommended that unification of pre-primary services should be a long-term goal and that improvement measures for kindergarten education should not be delayed by any attempt to unify pre-primary services.
The Working Party on Kindergarten Education chaired by the Deputy Directors of Education and Social Welfare and strengthened by the addition of members from the child care sector was reconvened to look specifically into the practicalities of unification.
At the first meeting of the working party held on February 24, members agreed that unification of pre-primary services in Hong Kong should be pursued within a practicable administrative and resource context and on the basis that unification does not mean that all aspects of operation for kindergartens and child care centres should necessarily be identical.
The Working Party also agreed to synthesise the curriculum of kindergartens and child care centres. It will examine other issues such as training, pay and qualifications soon.
The board recommended that the minimum academic requirement for kindergarten teachers should be raised.
The Governor in his 1994 Policy Address announced that from September 1995, the Government will raise the minimum qualification for kindergarten teachers from completion of Secondary 3 to completion of Secondary 5 with at least two passes in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education examination. A circular has been issued by the Education Department to all kindergartens to this effect.