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The Education Bureau welcomed the release of The Ombudsman's Direct Investigation Report (DIR) on Support Services for Students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) today (March 26). It pledged to consider actively how to follow up the various recommendations.
"We fully recognise the importance of providing effective support services for students with special educational needs, including those with SpLD. We are pleased to note The Ombudsman's recognition of the Education Bureau's efforts in stepping up support measures for these students in recent years. We consider the recommendations of The Ombudsman broadly in line with the bureau's prevailing policy and measures on integrated education. We generally accept The Ombudsman's recommendations," a bureau spokesman said.
"The Education Bureau has injected additional funds and other resources into the education system, including the Learning Support Grant, screening tools and resource packages specifically on SpLD, structured teacher training under a five-year Teacher Professional Development Framework, and professional support rendered by resource schools, educational psychologists, special education support officers and inspectors," he said,
"The bureau helps schools cater for students with special educational needs, complemented by an effective monitoring and review mechanism. It is our prevailing policy to require schools to be open and transparent in school operation. We have promulgated through the Operation Guide on Integrated Education and other channels such as seminars that schools should attach importance to parents' involvement. In the light of The Ombudsman's recommendation, we will, in consultation with schools and parent associations, formulate practicable means and timelines among schools to further enhance transparency. We will also continue to support schools to devise effective school specific mechanism to help parents understand more about school-based support measures for students with special educational needs, keep parents informed of their children's progress and enhance the involvement of parents in supporting their children's learning."
"For individual schools that require special attention, we will render targeted support and appropriate intervention. We trust that parents need not resort to mediation if their concerns are addressed promptly and appropriately."
With regard to The Ombudsman's recommendation about teacher training, the spokesman said, "The Education Bureau attaches great importance to the professional development of teachers. When we set the training targets under the five-year Teacher Professional Development Framework that started from the 2007-08 school year, we have given careful consideration to the capacity of teachers to meet various training needs arising from different initiatives and that of local teacher education institutes to provide sufficient and quality training places within this five-year period. We consider the present training target reasonable and realistic."
"Upon completion of the framework, schools will have accumulated a critical mass of teachers trained in special education who will lead other teachers in the school to devise and implement school-based support programmes for students with special educational needs," the spokesman said.
"Apart from the framework which provides structured teacher training, there are a great variety of opportunities for teachers to receive training on SpLD; they include pre-service or in-service programmes offered by the tertiary institutes, theme-based training programmes and school-based staff development programmes organised by the Education Bureau and other organisations. In addition, under the five-year Read & Write Project funded by the Jockey Club starting from 2006-07, the Chinese University of Hong Kong will train 5,000 Chinese Language teachers of primary schools in helping students with SpLD."
The spokesman said the bureau would continue to keep in view the needs of students, parents and schools, and review the implementation of various measures, including the progress of the framework, to better cater for the needs of students with SpLD.
Ends/Thursday, March 26, 2009
Issued at HKT 12:34
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