47
Reply:
Mr President:
(a)
(b)
(c)
In the 1995-96 school year, the Education Department received 126 complaints concerning unregistered private tutorial schools. On receiving the complaints, the relevant District Education Officers would initiate site inspections to establish the facts. A verbal warning would be given to the operators if the complaints were substantiated. The operators would also be advised of the registration procedures and the case would be referred to the Registration Office for follow-up action. Further inspection visits would be made to monitor the situation. Should an operator continue to contravene the relevant legal provision upon further inspections, warning letter will be issued and, where appropriate, the case will be referred to the Attorney General's Chambers for prosecution.
There are 112 Inspectors of Schools who are responsible for the supervision of all schools within their districts including monitoring of operation standards, vetting of funding requests, provision of staff resources and placement assistance. As part of their duties, they also undertake inspections to private tutorial schools when required. In the 1995-96 school year, they undertook 200 inspections to private tutorial schools and found 91 of them falling within the definition of "schools" under the Education Ordinance but operating without registration. Altogether, 19 warning letters were issued to operators and teachers who persistently contravened the legal requirements. Upon Education Department's verbal and/or written warnings, 38 private tutorial school operators either applied for registration or cut down the enrolment to a level below the registration requirements and 51 ceased operation.
In the 1995-96 school year, prosecutions were instituted against three unregistered schools, but the charge against one of them was withdrawn after the school agreed to cease operation. Proceedings against the other two are still underway. A person convicted of the offence of operating an unregistrated school would be subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for two years.