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In response to press enquiries about surplus teachers and laboratory technicians in aided secondary schools, a spokesman for the Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) said today (May 16) that a series of temporary measures had been drawn up to assist schools in dealing with the surplus problem for the 2003/04 school year in consultation with the Hong Kong Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, school sponsoring bodies and schools.

"Some schools will encounter the problem of surplus teachers and laboratory technicians in the next school year as a result of their reduction in enrolment and classes or other reasons. They can deal with the problem through natural wastage, such as retirement and resignation, or through redeployment of staff among the member schools of the same sponsoring body," the spokesman said.

"To resolve the problem of surplus teachers and laboratory technicians satisfactorily amid financial stringency, the EMB, the school sponsoring bodies, the schools, and the teachers and laboratory technicians affected have to join hands and shoulder the responsibility."

To further alleviate the situation of surplus teachers and laboratory technicians, the EMB, after consulting the parties concerned, has decided to introduce the following temporary measures for the schools with surplus teachers and laboratory technicians in the 2003/04 school year:

* Using 35 as the basis for calculating the number of classes at Secondary Two and Three levels (e.g. four classes for 106-140 students and five classes for 141-175 students), each with a class size of 26 to 35 students, but no additional teachers will be approved on top of the existing establishment as a result of such a calculation;

* Allowing flexibility in calculating the split class staff entitlement as in previous years;

* Allowing suitable schools to operate additional Secondary Four classes and Secondary Five classes for repeaters based on the planned number of senior secondary classes for the 2003/04 school year;

* Allowing individual schools to operate, with marginal costs, non-subsidised Secondary Five classes for repeaters or other fee charging classes; and

* Allowing experienced and eligible schools to run special programmes for dropouts, non-engaged youths and newly arrived people, including basic competency (e.g. language, computer, personal growth) and career oriented curriculum courses.

"The above measures are applicable to the schools affected in the 2003/04 school year only, and should not be treated as a precedent," the spokesman said.

"Apart from these measures, the EMB also encourages teachers and laboratory technicians to solve the problem by sharing jobs, such as in the mode of two posts for three persons, eight posts for 10 persons or other combinations."

"Through frank and sincere discussion between the EMB, the schools and sponsoring bodies concerned in the past week, nearly half of the affected schools have expressed that their surplus staff can be absorbed through the above measures. The EMB will liaise with the remaining schools and sponsoring bodies to work out feasible measures to solve the surplus staff problem," he added.

End/Friday, May 16, 2003

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