Hong Kong students can expect free kindergarten, better teacher-pupil ratios and more funding for gifted education
Chief executive Leung Chun-ying unveils slew of new measures aimed at improving schooling for the city’s children
The government is expected to increase the budget on kindergarten by more than 60 per cent to HK$6.7 billion to provide the free education for up to 80 per cent of kindergarten children attending half-day school, announced by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his latest policy address yesterday.
Some kindergartens which are receiving full subsidy for rents now will see the subsidy reduced when the policy is in place in school year 2017-18.
But principals from other kindergartens, which are not receiving any rent subsidy, urge the government to set up a rent control system to prevent a newly introduced rent subsidy from “serving the landlords” by giving an excuse for rent hikes.
Leung yesterday also announced more subsidies for local students to visit and intern on the mainland. He also introduced initiatives to allow redundant teachers at secondary schools to stay on the payroll until the secondary pupil population rises again. The government will also seek a site in urban areas for developing a modern campus for the Vocational Training Council.
“The policies cannot not solve related problems completely and may even lead to new problems,” said education sector lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen.
Under the free kindergarten policy, the 760 local non-profit kindergartens, which collectively enrol some 144,700 children, will receive an annual subsidy equivalent to about HK$32,000 per half-day session child, HK$41,600 per whole-day child and HK$51,200 per long whole-day pupil. The government expects this to cover full tuition fees for up to 80 per cent of half-day session children.
At present an annual voucher of HK$22,510 for each kindergarten pupil covers full tuition fees of about 17 per cent of children.