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"For a standard kindergarten with 320 pupils, the revised subsidy will be $252,800 per year. For one with 80 or fewer pupils, a flat rate of $63,200 per year will be paid," he said.
Meanwhile, to streamline the operation of the Scheme, the working group has also proposed various other improvements which will be made to the administrative arrangements. These included the setting up of a Vetting Committee to decide on special and appeal cases, and an advancement in the timing for the second payment of the subsidy from May to April each year.
The Kindergarten Subsidy Scheme, introduced in September 1995, is aimed at improving the quality of kindergarten education and to minimise the impact of fee increases on parents as a result of Government's new regulatory requirements on kindergartens.
Mr Wai added that there is a three-year transitional period (school years 1995/96 to 1997/98), during which profit-making kindergartens can join the Scheme by converting to non profit-making (NPM) status.
"During the transition, profit-making kindergartens under the Scheme have to show to the satisfaction of the Director of Education that substantive progress has been made in the conversion to NPM status," Mr Wai said. "From the 1998/99 school year, the subsidy scheme will be restricted to non-profit-making kindergartens."
Under the current cut-off point, about 72 per cent of kindergartens were eligible to join the Scheme in the 1995/96 school year, with a total of 236 actually joining.
According to Government's regulatory requirements introduced in 1995/96, kindergartens are required to employ a minimum of 40 per cent trained teachers who have completed the basic training course by September 1995 and the advanced course by September 1997.
"We intend to conduct a comprehensive review in the 1998/99 school year, i.e.. after the Scheme has been implemented for three years, to take stock of how well the Scheme has been operating." he said.
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