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Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Man-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen, in the Legislative Council today (April 16):
Question:
The Government has implemented the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme ("PEVS") since the current school year. A teacher development subsidy is embedded in each voucher for principals and teachers serving at PEVS kindergartens or kindergarten-cum-child care centres (hereafter collectively referred to as "KGs") to enhance their professional standards. However, I have learnt that the mobility of KG teachers has been on the rise recently. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number and percentage of KG teachers who left their jobs or transferred to other schools during the first half of the current school year, and whether it has assessed if the situation is serious as well as the main reasons for their departure or transfer;
(b) how the figures in (a) compare to those of the last school year; and
(c) among the KG teachers mentioned in (a) who had left their jobs or transferred to other schools, of the respective numbers and percentages of those who have obtained the Certificate in Early Childhood Education ("ECE") and a Bachelor in Education in ECE?
Reply:
Madam President,
The Education Bureau conducts the Teacher Survey in September each year, from which the number of KG teachers who had left their job or transferred to other KGs will be compiled. In the Teacher Survey, the former refers to teachers serving in KGs as at September of the preceding school year but no longer serving in any of the KGs as at September of the school year concerned. The latter refers to teachers serving in a KG as at September of the previous school year but had left that KG as at September of the school year concerned and continued to serve in another KG. Accordingly, the number of KG teachers leaving the profession or transferring to other KGs in the current school year will only be compiled from the Teacher Survey 2008/09 to be conducted in September 2008 and the provisional figures will be available in early 2009.
According to the result of the Teacher Survey 2007/08, the number (percentage) of KG teachers who had left the profession (teachers serving in KGs as at September 2006 but no longer serving in any of the KGs as at September 2007) was 1 042 (10.6%). As compared to 1 224 (11.5%) of the previous year, it represented a slight 0.9% point decrease. As regards the number (percentage) of KG teachers transferred to other KGs, they were 1 249 (11.7%) and 1 235 (12.6%) respectively which represented a slight 0.9% point increase. Information collected from the Teacher Surveys of the last two years indicate that most of the teachers leaving the KG sector with known reasons are due to personal considerations such as marriage/child-caring, retirement, illness, migration, and further studies while some left to take up other employment.
According to the Teacher Survey 2007/08, 186 (17.9%) of the 1 042 KG teachers who left their job had obtained Certificate in ECE and another 31 (3.0%) of them had obtained Bachelor in Education in ECE. 403 (32.6%) of the 1 235 KG teachers who transferred to other KGs had obtained Certificate in ECE and another 52 (4.2%) of them had obtained Bachelor in Education in ECE.
Ends/Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Issued at HKT 15:36
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