The following is issued on behalf of the Education Commission:

The Chairman of the Education Commission (EC), Dr Rosanna Wong Yick-ming, after meeting with members of the EC, today (October 11) welcomed the new initiatives of investing heavily in early childhood education and promoting gifted education as announced in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address.

The Chief Executive has announced in his Policy Address that additional resources will be provided for early childhood education, including a one-off Capacity Enhancement Grant for kindergartens to acquire more teaching resources and “education vouchers” to ease the financial burden of parents as well as support the gradual upgrading of teachers’ academic qualifications. It is expected that all kindergarten teachers will have obtained a Diploma in Early Childhood Education within five years.

“The Commission is glad that the Government has responded positively to the expectations of parents and those working in the pre-primary sector,” Dr. Wong stated. “The further investment into early childhood education is an important step and will help enhance quality education for our next generation. We welcome the setting of clear targets for professional development, which is in keeping with the initiatives laid out in the Education Reform.” Dr Wong said.

While commending the good policy intent, the Commission urges the Administration to communicate closely with the stakeholders in working out the implementation details. The EC will continue to contribute its advice.

Ends/Wednesday, October 11, 2006