TNAG-1073-FCO40-1323-Policy-of-the-Government-of-Hong-Kong-on-education-including-1981 — Page 48

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Education. The number of trained/untrained teachers in different types of primary day school in March 1979 is shown in the table below:-

Classification

of training

Univer-

No. of teachers

Government

Aided

Private

Total

sity

Trained

6

300

137

443

graduate

or equi-

Untrained

7

560

153

720

valent

t

Non- graduate

Trained

1,232

13,691

456

15,379

Untrained

1

155

1,623

1,779

Total

1,246

14,706

2,369

18,321

5.23

Proposals are in hand to improve the training of teachers at both University and College of Education levels. The 1978 White Paper on the Development of Senior Secondary and Tertiary Education proposed an increase in the basic training course for most non-graduate teachers from 2 years to 3 year's and a working party has been planning the new courses to make the most effective use of the increased period of training. However, while the initial training of a teacher is extremely important it is unrealistic to assume that one period of training before a teacher starts his career will equip him for life. Educational ideas change and teachers need to adapt to them. Furthermore teachers can become very stale without some opportunity to stand aside and evaluate what they are trying to achieve. The 1978 White Paper accordingly recommended the introduction of systematic retraining courses for teachers.

5.24

It is proposed that retraining should be a joint responsibility of the Colleges of Education and the Advisory Inspectorate.

Systematic retraining

5.25

retraining:

(a)

(b)

The Government considered two possible ways of providing systematic

by taking the teacher out of his school for single days spread over a fairly extended period of time, for example 1 day a week for a number of weeks; and

for continuous periods of training in which the teacher would be taken out of his school for several weeks at a time.

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