LCQ13: Serving teachers changing their jobs to work for Education Bureau
30.10.2019

Following is a question by the Hon Tommy Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (October 30): ã Question: Some members of the education sector have complained to me that in recent years, the Education Bureau (EDB) has, from time to time, conducted open recruitment exercises for positions the entry requirements of which include a certain number of years' teaching experience. As the appointees are usually serving teachers, the schools at which such teachers originally teach often have to recruit teachers midway through a school term in order to fill the vacancies, thus affecting the operation of the schools and the learning progress of the students. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the number of serving teachers who changed their jobs to work for the EDB in each of the past ten years and, among them, the number of those who changed their jobs midway through a school term; and (2) whether the EDB will, in future, arrange as far as possible the serving teachers appointed by it to report for duty during the summer break, so as to avoid affecting the operation of the schools at which they originally teach as well as the learning progress of the students; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that? Reply: President, My reply to the Hon Tommy Cheung's question is as follows: (1) The education grades posts for which the Education Bureau (EDB) conducts open recruitment exercises include Assistant Education Officer (AEO), Assistant Primary School Master/Mistress (APSM), Assistant Education Officer (Administration) (AEO(A)), Assistant Inspector (Graduate) (AI(G)) and Specialist (Education Services) I/II. Applicants for some of these posts must possess certain teaching experience. In the past ten years, the number of appointees originally teaching at aided/Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS)/private schools prior to appointment by the EDB is as follows: Year No. of serving teachers appointed (Note) No. of serving teachers reporting for duty midway through a school term (Note) 2009 24 21 2010 64 21 2011 27 20 2012 46 9 2013 69 39 2014 109 55 2015 58 41 2016 128 23 2017 132 44 2018 174 33 Note: Serving teachers refer to teachers originally teaching at aided/DSS/private schools. (2) In general, the EDB arranges government school teachers (who are appointed as AEO or APSM) to report for duty at the commencement of a new school year. As for non-teaching grades posts such as AEO(A) and AI(G), vacancies may inevitably arise at different times of the year due to the introduction of new policies, retirements, etc. To meet operational needs and ensure timely provision of services, such vacancies should be filled promptly rather than left vacant until the end of a school term. As shown in part (1) of this reply, with various measures put in place in recent years, the percentage of serving teachers reporting for duty midway through a school term is decreasing despite an increasing number of serving teachers appointed. The relevant measures include arranging for serving teachers appointed to assume office after the end of a school term as far as possible and asking appointees to indicate the earliest intended date of reporting for duty for our flexible arrangement so as to minimise the impact on the operation of the schools.