Educational upgrade: A $70 million grant will be allocated to improve kindergarten facilities.

A $70 million grant will be allocated to improve kindergarten facilities, and gifted students will also see enhanced educational aid, Chief Executive Donald Tsang pledged in his Policy Address today.

The one-off Capacity Enhancement Grant will allow kindergartens to acquire more books, a wider variety of teaching aids, computers and other resources. The amount of grant per student will be $500, while the maximum amount per kindergarten will be $135,000.

"Providing quality education for our next generation is an integral part of government support for the family," Mr Tsang said.

Education voucher

The Chief Executive pledged to provide an education voucher to aid parents of children aged three to six. The Government will also rationalise all existing fee assistance schemes.

From the 2007-08 school year, the vouchers will provide an annual subsidy of up to $13,000 per student, of which at least $10,000 must be used on fee subsidy, with the remaining money spent on teacher training.

By the 2011-12 school year, the annual subsidy per student will be $16,000 and will be used entirely for fee subsidy. Any local non-profit-making kindergartens that charge fees not more than $24,000 per student per annum will be eligible to redeem the voucher according to their student intake.

Mr Tsang said an additional $2 billion will be required each year by 2011-12 to implement the scheme, of which 90% of students aged three to six will benefit, while more than 80% of kindergartens will be eligible.

Gifted Education

Mr Tsang said he backed the establishment of an Academy for Gifted Education to nurture students with exceptional potential and enhance the performance of high achievers.

The academy will target students aged 10 to 18 who are either excellent academic achievers or distinguished performers in specific areas. The curriculum will be tailor-made to bring out their full potential.

The academy will also provide training for parents and teachers to promote the concepts and practices of gifted education. In the long run, the academy can be developed into a platform for international exchanges as well as research and development.

Good move

Education Commission Chairman Rosanna Wong welcomed the new initiatives, which have responded positively to the expectations of parents and those working in the pre-primary sector.

She said the further investment in early childhood education is an important step and will help enhance quality education for the next generation. The move also sets clear targets for professional development, which is in keeping with the initiatives laid out in the Education Reform.