ENG-2009 — Page 193

Education | 141

Council, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority Council, the Quality Education Fund Steering Committee, the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research, University Grants Committee and the Vocational Training Council. The non-official members come from both education and non-education fields.

Early Childhood Education

All kindergartens are required to register under the Education Ordinance. Since 2004, all kindergartens have been required to employ qualified kindergarten teachers. The intention is to upgrade the professional qualifications of all kindergarten teachers to certificate level by the end of the 2011-12 school year. Newly appointed kindergarten principals are required to have a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education with effect from the 2009-10 school year. Quality assurance for kindergartens is enhanced through a self-evaluation system, supported by an external review process.

The Government enables all school-aged children to have access to kindergarten education within a non-compulsory private-sector system by providing financial support for parents in meeting school fees, assisting with rents and rates for non- profit-making kindergartens, and reserving premises for kindergartens in public housing estates.

The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme, introduced in the 2007-08 school year, provides direct fee subsidy for parents and financial support for professional upgrading of serving kindergarten principals and teachers. About 83 per cent of students and 84 per cent of kindergartens are benefiting under the scheme. Eligible children aged above two years and eight months attending eligible local non-profit- making kindergartens can receive an annual fee subsidy of $12,000 in the 2009-10 school year and this will be increased progressively to $16,000 by the 2011-12 school year.

School Education

Twelve-year free education is provided to students in public sector schools with effect from the 2008-09 school year. Admissions to Primary 1 and Secondary 1 in public sector schools are administered through centralised systems. Under the NSS academic structure, Secondary 3 students will normally continue to receive senior secondary education in the same school or attend full-time vocational training courses run by the Vocational Training Council which is fully subvented by the Government.

In September 2009, a total of 289 900 children were enrolled in public sector primary schools and 395 400 children in public sector secondary schools. Public sector school places made up about 83 per cent of school places. In addition, there were 72 Direct Subsidy Scheme schools, offering about 7.9 per cent of the school places.

As of September 2009, there were 51 international schools, including 15 schools operated by the English Schools Foundation. These schools offer different