Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (Mar 18):

Question:

     There are views pointing out that the kindergarten sector is facing a period of operational difficulties amid the decline in the source of students and increase in costs. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that the Government is studying the integration of various school subsidies to enhance efficiency, whether it will concurrently explore granting kindergartens greater flexibility in resource allocation, allowing them to flexibly use the subsidies across different subsidised areas to help them more effectively cope with rising operating expenses;

(2) as some members of the sector have pointed out that the current employment requirements for the Relief Grant for Appointment of Kindergarten Supply Teachers lack flexibility, making it increasingly difficult for kindergartens to employ supply teachers, whether the Government will, when integrating various kindergarten subsidies, also study the refinement of the employment requirements for supply teachers, taking the actual needs of kindergartens as the basis for consideration, so as to facilitate their employment of suitable personnel to fill short-term vacancies; and

(3) in the face of structural adjustments in the student population, apart from encouraging school sponsoring bodies to achieve synergy through mergers, whether the Government will consider studying and introducing other support measures to assist kindergartens with excellent educational quality but temporarily affected by fluctuations in the source of students, thereby maintaining the stability of Hong Kong's early childhood education system?

Reply:

President,

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government attaches great importance to early childhood education and implemented the Kindergarten Education Scheme (the Scheme) in the 2017/18 school year to provide good quality and highly affordable kindergarten (KG) education to school-age children, turning a new page of KG education. The Government has put in substantial resources and implemented various measures, including student unit subsidy, teacher professionalism, monitoring and quality assurance, school premises and facilities, curriculum and students' learning, as well as parent education.

     The Government provides KGs joining the Scheme (Scheme-KGs) with direct half-day unit subsidy according to the number of eligible students. KGs offering whole-day and long whole-day services will receive an additional subsidy of 30 per cent and 60 per cent respectively. Unit subsidy is used for teaching staff salary, supporting staff salary and other operating costs. In addition, grants related to premises, support to non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students, etc are provided according to school context.

     The rate of enrolment in KG education in Hong Kong is close to 100 per cent, which reflects that KG education in Hong Kong is universally accessible under its education system, and also highlights the specific features and strengths of flexibility and diversity in KG education. KGs receiving recurrent funding from the government operate flexibly and respond promptly to society changes and parents' needs. The Education Bureau (EDB) has been consistently working in concerted efforts with colleagues in the KG sector to provide quality KG education for our students.

     Moreover, the EDB has been continuously reviewing and enhancing the Scheme as appropriate to support KGs' ongoing development from multiple perspectives. For example, we provided Scheme-KGs with additional subsidies (the Support Grant, the Grant for Procurement of Ventilation Assessment Service and the Grant for Procurement of Air Purifiers, etc) at multiple times during the COVID-19 epidemic. Meanwhile, to enhance teacher professionalism, structured learning programmes lasting for several weeks have been provided for experienced teachers, senior teachers or aspiring teachers, and subsidies for supply teachers have been provided in this regard. Moreover, the one-off Professional Capacity Enhancement Grant was provided in 2022 and 2024 to enhance teachers' professionalism. 

     ​In addition, we provided the one-off Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture to strengthen national education and the one-off Grant for Promotion of National Education through Home-school Co-operation to encourage KGs in organising more diversified school-based activities through home-school co-operation to help students understand and appreciate Chinese culture from an early age.

     The EDB has all along maintained communication with the sector, and pragmatically keep making refinements to the Scheme, with a view to supporting the continuous development of KGs.

     Our key reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Fei is as follows:

(1) To enhance cost-effectiveness of resources, KGs are allowed to flexibly deploy resources to meet school-based needs. For example, KGs can flexibly deploy the unit subsidy to cover their daily operating costs, teaching staff and non-teaching staff salary and related expenses. The portions of teaching staff salary (60 per cent) and the other operating cost (40 per cent) have been combined when calculating the reserve ceiling for the accumulated surplus of unit subsidy. Besides, the EDB has made a special arrangement allowing KGs to maintain the reserve of unit subsidy from equivalent to 12 months to 18 months of the provision in the 2021/22 to 2025/26 accounting years, with a view to minimising interference of school-age population change on school planned development. 

     Having consulted the sector and considered various factors, the EDB decided to consolidate the One-off Parent Education Grant, the Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture and the Enhanced Grant for Promotion of Chinese Art and Culture, as well as the Grant for Promotion of National Education through Home-school Co-operation into the Consolidated One-off Grant, and extend its usage period in order to enhance the flexibility, effectiveness and synergy of the grants, while reducing the school administrative work.

     ​We will continue to communicate with the sector and optimise the Scheme as appropriate in the future.

(2) In the aspect of appointing supply teachers, we require KGs to employ persons possessing the qualification of Certificate in Early Childhood Education or above and apply the salary range for basic rank teachers in determining the salaries of supply teachers. If a KG cannot employ a person possessing the required qualifications because of special circumstances, the KG concerned should provide adequate support to ensure the quality of the education service.

     Currently, the overall teacher-to-pupil (TP) ratio requirement for KGs has been enhanced from 1:15 (including the principal) to 1:11 (principal not included). KG can flexibly deploy the extra manpower under the new TP ratio according to the school-based needs. Meanwhile, KGs can make use of the unit subsidy to cover supply teacher expenses. 

     In fact, in light of the KG sector's needs, starting from the 2018/19 school year, the Supply Teacher Grant has been provided for Scheme-KGs to facilitate their arrangement for teachers to attend the specified training courses (for three consecutive days or more offered by the EDB on catering for students with developmental needs and supporting NCS students). The EDB has also been providing the Staff Relief Grant for Staff Taking Paid Maternity Leave, with a view to facilitating the employment of supply teachers and substitute staff.
 
(3) In face of the structural decline in school-age population, the EDB has been encouraging school sponsoring bodies and KGs to plan ahead of time by considering plans for consolidating and optimising school resources. Besides, the EDB has been liaising with the sector and providing support to alleviate the impact from decline in school-age population, among others, including provision of more KG premises owned by the Government for allocation to eligible applicant bodies on a competitive basis for alleviating rental burden.

     Moreover, the EDB has implemented and regularised the Relocation Grant to encourage KGs in districts with ageing population to relocate to new development areas, and those KGs at rented private premises to relocate to premises of lower rent or Government-owned premises, so as to improve the school environment as well as cater for the demand in new development areas, while reducing the surplus of school places in certain districts. In recent years, the EDB endeavours to provide more KG premises owned by the Government, and also explores a "Single Site, Multiple Use" model for reprovisioning or operating non-profit-making KGs.

     President, when planning for the future development of education, the Government will accord top priority to the interests of students, while reviewing the policies and the effectiveness of utilisation of public resources. We will timely redeploy and consolidate resources, as well as focus on enhancing the overall education quality to suitably cater for the various needs of students, while continue to maintain communication with the sector and work pragmatically to overcome challenges.

     Thank you, President.

Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Issued at HKT 16:47

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