Article No.
Provisions
- 2 -
Comments
1
2
In this Convention, the term "paid educa- tional leave" means leave granted to a worker for educational purposes for a specified period during working hours, with adequate financial entitlements.
Each Member shall formulate and apply a policy designed to promote, by methods appro- priate to national conditions and practice and by stages as necessary, the granting of paid educational leave for the purpose of
(a)
training at any level;
(b) general, social and civic education; (c) trade union education.
Financial entitlements should include full pay plus reimburse- ment of the cost of education/training up to a specified amount. If the education/training is not paid for or subsidized, many workers may not be willing to take advantage of the paid educa- tional leave.
As mentioned above, only registered apprentices are granted paid educational leave, usually on a part-time day-release basis, under the Apprenticeship Ordinance. New legislation would have to be enacted to make provisions for paid educational leave for the purpose of
S
(a) training at any level;
(2)
general, social and civic education;
(c) trade union education.
As far as Hong Kong is concerned, the first priority is to provide for young people in craft occupations to be employed in accordance with a contract of apprenticeship and to be given part- time release to attend a course of technical education at a techni- cal institute. There are now 31 designated craft level trades. Secondly, Hong Kong should aim to encourage employers of trained technicians to grant them part-time release to attend courses at technical institutes and the Polytechnic (since technician trades are more difficult to define and the trainees are usually above the maximum age established in the Apprenticeship Ordinance).
September
With the introduction from 1978 of free education up to junior secondary level and compulsory education up to that level by September 1980, every child will be guaranteed a minimum of nine years' general education with opportunities for further studies. Therefore paid educational leave for receiving general, social and civic education would command a much lower priority.
Workers may
pursue such studies in the vening in their cwn time. The Educa- tion Department, the universities and some private institutions offer a wide range of courses of this nature.