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Education

Professional Development at Schools

Teachers' Professional Development

The Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications advises the EDB on the professional qualifications, competencies and development of the teaching profession, from student teachers to experienced teachers.

The Chief Executive's Award for Teaching Excellence (CEATE), organised by the EDB, aims to give recognition to accomplished teachers and foster a culture of excellence in the teaching profession. A total of 54 teachers received CEATE awards or certificates of merit in 2011-12.

The Hong Kong Teachers' Centre organises conferences, seminars, workshops and experience- sharing sessions to promote continuing professional development for teachers. Physical and mental health activities are also arranged to help teachers maintain work-life balance.

The Council on Professional Conduct in Education (CPC), a non-statutory body, advises the Government on measures to promote professional conduct in education and on alleged misconduct cases involving educators that are lodged with the CPC.

Principals' Professional Development

To help principals enhance their leadership knowledge and skills, there are different professional development requirements for aspiring principals, newly appointed principals and serving principals to address their developmental needs at different career stages. Some 1,000 aspiring principals have attained the Certification for Principalship and about half of them have become principals.

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. The SFAA also administers a number of privately-funded scholarship schemes.

Financial Assistance for Pre-primary Education

Eligible children at pre-primary level may enjoy non-means-tested fee subsidy under the Pre- primary Education Voucher Scheme, and means-tested fee remission under the Kindergarten and Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme. In the 2011-12 school year, fee subsidies and remissions totalling $2 billion and $399.5 million were granted to 129,100 and 36,117 students respectively.

Financial Assistance for Primary and Secondary Education

At the primary and secondary levels, means-tested assistance covers textbook grants, travel subsidies and subsidies for internet access charges. In the 2011-12 school year, $657.2 million was disbursed to 276,003 students to purchase textbooks, $288.5 million to 183,017 students as travel subsidies, $186.5 million to 181,747 families to subsidise internet access by students at home, and $75.1 million in examination fees was reimbursed to 38,798 students sitting public

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