TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 44

Į

5.5

At present training facilities for child care staff are provided by the Training Section of the Social Welfare Department and the Hong Kong Poly- technic. The Social Welfare Department provides the bulk of in-service courses and it should continue to do so. The courses run by the Social Welfare Depart- ment include a 5-week course for nursery workers intended for staff working in full-day centres, and a short course for English-speaking playgroup workers. The latter will need to be lengthened to make it suitable for all workers in half-day centres. The Social Welfare Department also runs a short management course for trained supervisors of child care centres and a 10-day course for trained child care workers who are required to look after disabled children in special or ordinary child care centres. The Polytechnic provides both in-ser- vice and pre-service training. It conducts a 1-year Pre-Service Course with a capacity of 40 places and a 2-year Part-time Course, started in September 1979, for 30 places.

5.6

A third institution, Lee Wai Lee Technical Institute, plans to run a 2-year pre-service course for Form 3 school leavers from September 1980. The maximum output will be 40 places per course.

5.7

A comprehensive review of the training required for child care staff working with disabled children will be undertaken by the Rehabilitation Development Coordinating Committee.

5.8

The total training provision for child care staff from 1981/82 to 1985/86 is summarised in Appendices 5B and 5C where it can be seen that adequate training facilities will become available to meet full demand.

Kindergarten staff

5.9

The measures proposed in this Green Paper to improve the quality of kindergarten education will ultimately depend on teachers to implement them in the classroom.

5.10

For teachers to be fully effective the Government believes that class sizes should be reduced and proposes that the maximum class size of 45 should be reduced to 30. In order to minimise any inconvenience and to allow kinder- garten operators to adjust to the proposed arrangements, it is intended to phase in the revised maximum class size over a period of 4 years, commencing in September 1981. The smaller class size will enable teachers to give more attention to the individual needs of each child. In some countries the value of team teaching is recognised and it is seen as an advantage to use open planning of an area to achieve this. No objection is seen to allowing classes with their teachers to join together for activities provided the basic class- room space and supervision standards are met.

5.11

The target dates for the phased introduction of a reduced maximum class size are as follows:-

37