THE Education Commission Report No 5 recommends increasing the proportion of graduate posts in primary schools. This means that there would need to be provision for upgrading the professional standards of a large number of teachers.
Some speculated that there were as many as 20,000 teachers in the territory who could possibly seek to upgrade their qualifications.
Hong Kong teachers now have a range of courses from which to choose at the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University and the OLI's Distance Learning Degree programme on primary education.
British education still offers real opportunities for Hong Kong teachers. Each year 300-400 teachers go to Britain for some training in the teaching profession.
Going to Britain also offers an opportunity to get to know a different culture, make friends from other countries, gain new insights, stretch oneself academically and develop teaching skills.
Lorita Ng Ka-wah decided to apply for the BEd degree at the University of Hertfordshire.
Now in her second year, she said: ''My courses are designed to ensure the parallel development throughout of both subject and professional study. Last year, I was given a year six class (11 years old) for my three-week block of teaching experience in a local school.