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The following is issued on behalf of the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee and the Committee on Respect Our Teachers Campaign:

The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, today (September 10) pledged to increase the teacher-to-class ratio in primary schools to allow language and mathematics teachers to concentrate on teaching the subjects and to reduce their workload.

Mr Tung pointed out that education reform was no easy task and he appreciated that it had exerted enormous pressure on teachers. He hoped that the initiative could be launched in the 2005-06 school year, allowing English-language teachers to specialise in teaching the subject.

Mr Tung today presented the first Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence (ATE) to 44 teachers in appreciation of their exemplary teaching practices. Eighty-five teachers were also commended with the ATE Certificate of Merit.

The objective of the ATE is to further enhance the collaboration of the teaching profession and to promote the quest for excellence in Hong Kong's teaching culture.

The selection of awardees is based on merits centering around five domains, namely professional competency, student development, commitment to the teaching profession and the community, professionalism and school development. The award was the first of its kind initiated by the Quality Education Fund (QEF) to further the professionalism of teachers.

"I am glad to see that the quality of the nominations is very high, and that our teaching profession is endowed with many reflective practitioners," chairman of the QEF Steering Committee Mr Tai Hay-lap said.

"The assessment process has unveiled a number of innovative and effective teaching practices. The characteristics emerged include teachers' proactive efforts in compiling high quality teaching materials, student-focused teaching strategies catering for differences in abilities, needs and interests, quests for continuous professional perfection and collaboration, multi-pronged evaluation and cross-curricular teaching approach," Mr Tai said.

The ATE awardees will form a quality circle to disseminate teaching excellence and help foster a culture of collaboration in the teaching profession.

"It is our intention to kindle reflection among the teaching profession through the process of participation in the ATE. This reflection, mainly on what constitutes excellent teaching practices and the ways to attain them will continue with post-award dissemination of the exemplary practices identified," chairman of the ATE Sub-committee Mr Pang Yiu-kai said.

At today's ceremony, the Teacher Commendation Scheme organised by the Committee on Respect Our Teachers Campaign (CROTC) also commended 1,416 teachers for their commitment and dedication to teaching.

"The Teacher Commendation Scheme aims to enhance the image of teachers and promote the awareness of respecting our teachers in the community," chairman of the CROTC Mr Chu Fu-yau said.

The results of the ATE and the areas of excellence of the selected teachers are posted on the ATE website (http://info.gov.hk/qef/ate).

Ends/Friday, September 10, 2004

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