ENG-2007 — Page 205

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experience-sharing sessions are regularly organised for teachers. Physical and mental health activities are also arranged to help teachers maintain a better work-life balance.

Council on Professional Conduct in Education

The Council on Professional Conduct in Education was established in 1994. It comprises 25 elected members from schools and educational organisations, and three members nominated by the Permanent Secretary for Education. The council draws up operational criteria defining the professional conduct expected of an educator and advises the Permanent Secretary on ways to promote professional conduct and on cases of alleged professional misconduct involving educators.

Student Finance

To ensure that no student is deprived of education due to lack of means, the Student Financial Assistance Agency (SFAA) provides means-tested and non-means- tested financial assistance to students at various study levels. SFAA also administers a number of privately funded scholarships schemes.

Means-tested Financial Assistance

At the pre-primary education level, means-tested assistance covers the fees for attending kindergartens, kindergarten-cum-child care centres or child care centres. In the 2006-07 school year, fee remission totalling $630.3 million was granted to

59 119 students.

At the primary and secondary school levels, means-tested assistance covers. grants for the purchase of textbooks, travel subsidies and remission of tuition fees for senior secondary students in public sector schools. In the 2006-07 school year, $465.7 million was disbursed to 327 429 students for purchasing textbooks, $271.3 million to 216 270 students as travel subsidies and 91 339 senior secondary students were granted tuition fees remission. In addition, 12 438 students taking Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination or Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination had their examination fees waived at a cost of $14.7 million.

At the post-secondary and tertiary level, means-tested assistance for full-time students pursuing eligible courses at UGC-funded institutions, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education of the VTC, the Prince Philip Dental Hospital and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts includes grants and low-interest loans. In the 2006-07 academic year, $840.9 million of grants and $397.2 million of loans. were provided to 31 128 students.

Eligible students pursuing accredited, self-financing full-time post-secondary programmes leading to a sub-degree or higher qualification are provided with grants to cover tuition fees and academic expenses. In the 2006-07 academic year, $433.5 million in grants were provided to 13 771 students.

Travel subsidies totalling $98.8 million were provided to 38 977 students of all post-secondary institutions.