Chief Executive CY Leung has outlined plans to implement a free, quality kindergarten education policy from the 2017-18 school year by providing non-profit-making kindergartens with a basic subsidy to offer a three-year, quality half-day service for all eligible children.
In his 2016 Policy Address today, Mr Leung said the move will make an estimated 70-80% of half-day kindergarten places free-of-charge.
The Government will provide an additional subsidy for eligible whole-day and long whole-day kindergartens, and revise planning standards to progressively offer more whole-day places.
The Policy Address also outlined plans to improve the teacher-pupil ratio to 1:11 to strengthen support for students with diverse needs and encourage kindergartens to establish a career ladder, providing competitive remuneration for teachers for schools to attract and retain quality teaching staff.
Mr Leung said that before implementing the new policy, he will invite the Community Care Fund to consider providing a one-off grant for kindergarten students from needy families in the 2016-17 school year to cover their schooling expenses.
To cultivate talent Mr Leung announced that an $800 million Gifted Education Fund will be set up. It will support the Academy for Gifted Education’s work in nurturing exceptionally gifted students aged 10 to 18.
To better support secondary schools, the Government will provide funding for about 1,000 teaching posts at the Graduate Master/Mistress rank, turning two recurrent grants into regular teaching posts in the coming two school years.
An urban site will be earmarked to develop a Vocational Training Council campus with adequate capacity and state-of-the-art facilities.
Mr Leung said the Youth Development Fund, to be launched after Legislative Council approval, will support non-governmental organisations on a matching basis to help young people start their own businesses.
The Government will increase the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland quotas, he added.
