Policy Address

192.         To address the temporary decline in the number of secondary school students, the Government has introduced a basket of targeted relief measures to help stabilise the teaching force.  The measures aim at maintaining the stability and strength of schools as well as the teaching force during this transitional period.  To stabilise secondary school development before a gradual rebound of the student population, the Government will continue to provide relief measures, such as allowing schools to extend the retention period of surplus teachers arising from fewer secondary one classes from one year to three years.  To further stabilise the teaching force, aided secondary schools in need may apply to extend the retention period for these surplus teachers up to the 2017/18 school year.  Around 130 teachers in 30 schools will be involved.

193.         To cultivate more talent, the Government proposes to set up an $800 million Gifted Education Fund for supporting the Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education’s work in nurturing exceptionally gifted students aged between 10 and 18.  Meanwhile, the Education Bureau will continue to implement school-based gifted education programmes, which include training for principals and teachers in primary and secondary schools, and establishment of school networks for practices and experience sharing. 

194.         The Government will further enhance the School-based Educational Psychology Service by progressively improving the ratio of educational psychologist to school to 1:4 for public sector primary and secondary schools with a large number of students with such needs. 

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