EDUCATION
professional development courses for teachers are provided by the Education Department and professional organisations.
In the 1997-98 academic year, the HKIEd offered 45 courses for more than 8 840 full-time and part-time students. These included pre-service Certificate in Education programmes; in-service initial training for kindergarten, primary, secondary, technical, commercial and special education teachers; refresher training courses for serving teachers in primary and secondary schools; advanced courses of teacher education for non-graduate secondary school teachers of cultural, practical and technical subjects and course in Putonghua.
The HKIEd moved into its new, $2.55 billion campus in Tai Po in November 1997. It provides academic, administrative, amenities and indoor sports accommodation. Student hostels, staff quarters and outdoor sports facilities are scheduled for completion between July 1998 and September 1999.
Review of Teacher Education
In July 1997, the Chief Executive announced a new policy objective that all new teachers of primary and secondary schools should have university degrees and professional training in teacher education in the foreseeable future. The primary aim is to upgrade the quality and professional qualification of teachers so that the quality of primary and secondary education will in general be improved.
The government invited the UGC to conduct a review particularly of pre-service teacher education, to advise how best to plan the development of the tertiary sector to meet the challenge, and to say how quickly this objective can be achieved. The UGC expected to submit its advice in early 1998. In addition, the government asked the ACTEQ to undertake a parallel review of in-service teacher education and training, within approximately the same time-frame as the UGC's review.
Management Courses
The Education Department provides basic training in educational management and administration for primary/secondary school heads and senior teachers. School-based staff development workshops were organised by the Training Unit to promote the importance of teamwork among teachers. Additional training opportunities were offered to teachers of SMI schools to equip them with knowledge in leadership and strategic planning.
Hong Kong Teachers' Centre
The Hong Kong Teachers' Centre, set up in 1989 to promote professionalism and a sense of unity among teachers, is supervised by a widely represented advisory management committee. It is staffed by the Education Department. During the year, the centre published newsletters and hosted 700 activities for 50 000 participants. Another centre was set up in Kowloon and began to provide services in October 1995.
Council on Professional Conduct in Education
The council, set up in 1994, is a non-statutory body promoting professional conduct in education. It draws up operational criteria defining the conduct expected of an educator and advises the Director of Education, where necessary, on cases of disputes or alleged professional misconduct. It has 23 elected members from schools and
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