LCQ 18: Teacher-to-student ratios, class sizes and number of teaching sessions
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    Following is a question by the Hon Audrey Eu and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (November 9):

Question:

     Will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the current respective average teacher-to-student ratios, class sizes, the number of teaching sessions and average working hours per teacher per week in aided secondary and primary schools; and

(b) how the above figures compare to those in Hong Kong five years ago and the corresponding current figures in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, the Mainland, Taiwan and Singapore?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) The Education and Manpower Bureau conducts annual statistical surveys on the number of students, teachers and teaching periods per teacher.  As data for the 2005/06 school year are still being compiled, only the statistics for the 2004/05 school year are available.  In view of the fact that about 460 teaching posts were created in the primary schools for the implementation of specialised teaching in the 2005/06 school year and the number of additional Native-speaking English Teachers was also increased in the year, the overall teacher-to-student ratio for the 2005/06 school year should be higher than that of the 2004/05 school year.  Similarly, the average number of teaching periods per teacher per week in the primary schools will also be lowered as compared with that of the 2004/05 school year.

     The average teacher-to-student ratio, class size and number of teaching periods per teacher for aided primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong for the 2004/05 school year are set out at Annex I.

     The above statistical survey has not covered the average working hours per teacher per week.  Generally speaking, apart from performing their classroom teaching duties, teachers are required to take up other duties such as curriculum design, lesson preparation, assignment marking, student counselling, organising extra-curricular activities, etc.  The time required for carrying out these duties may vary across schools, teachers, levels of study and time intervals concerned.

(b) The average teacher-to-student ratio, class size and number of teaching periods per teacher per cycle in the 2004/05 school year as compared with the corresponding figures five years ago (i.e. 1999/2000) are set out at Annex II.

     According to the information available on the Internet, the respective average teacher-to-student ratios, class sizes and numbers of teaching hours per teacher per week in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Mainland, Taiwan and Singapore are at Annex III.

Ends/Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Issued at HKT 15:32

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