Kindergartens

In September 1997, 177 175 children, most of them aged three to five,
were enrolled in 731 kindergartens. Most kindergartens operate two
half-day sessions, but the number offering whole-day places is increasing.

To further improve the quality of kindergarten education, kindergarten
teachers will, from September 1998, be required to possess a minimum
qualification of having completed Secondary 5 with at least two passes in
the HKCEE, one of which must be Chinese Language or Chinese
Literature. The minimum proportion of Qualified Kindergarten Teachers in
each session of a kindergarten will be 40 per cent, 50 per cent and 60 per
cent by September 1998, 1999 and 2000, respectively. Such teachers
have received at least 360 hours of in-service training administered by the
HKIEd.

The KSS was introduced in 1995 to assist eligible kindergartens to
minimise the impact on parents of fee increases resulting from the above
regulatory requirements. The KSS was reviewed in early 1996 and
enhancements to the scheme were introduced in the 1996-97 school year,
resulting in an increase of 14 per cent to the rate of subsidy per pupil per
annum and a 41 per cent adjustment to the eligibility cut-off point. For the
1997-98 school year, the rate of subsidy per pupil per annum is $880 and
the eligibility cut-off point is $13,200 per pupil. To enhance the quality of
kindergarten education by encouraging kindergartens to employ more
trained teachers, a review of the scheme scheduled for the 1998-99
school year was advanced to the 1997-98 school year.

 

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