Letter to the Chief Executive 10 January 2016
Letter to the Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying,
By LEE Suet Ying, Chairman of HKAHSS
10 January 2016
| Letter to the Chief Executive | 中文原文 |
In the past three years (since 2012), our Association has been contributing our views on education policies in the Chief Executive’s Policy Address. However, nothing substantial is evident. Worse yet, turmoil and disputes in the educational sector have been escalating, which has led to frustration and disappointment. It is therefore the common wish of all in the education profession for the government to formulate timely and long- term educational policies,
As entailed in our comments to the last three Policy Address, we still strongly believe a thorough planning in developing the overall framework, of education provisions which consists of long-term goals and effective details, is crucial. Besides, appropriate measures must be in place to keep up with the ever-changing world to meet the future educational needs. To offer all children with equal opportunities in education, a fair system is essential to accommodate the vast diversity of children who differ in personality, socio-economic background and ethnicity.
The increasing number of parents sending their children to study overseas is a very clear indication of their frustration and distrust of the local education system. If the government still procrastinate and turn a cold shoulder to the problematic education system, the future of the local education system will doom.
Apart from the above, the lack of communication between the Education Bureau and the frontline teachers is equally unsatisfactory, which has caused numerous problems and controversies, namely whether to treat Chinese History as an independent subject or to abolish TSA in Primary Three. To improve the quality in Education, a shared consensus among stakeholders is of utmost importance.
It is obvious that no education systems will do well without high quality teachers. However, with a constant drop in student population which in turn leads to the decrease in permanent teaching posts in schools, the morale of existing teachers has drastically plummeted. Instability, along with the demanding workload brought about by school reforms, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), SEN (students with special learning needs) and NCS (non-Chinese-speaking students), have put immense burden on our teachers. It is utterly incomprehensible as to why the Education Bureau has done so little to alleviate such a weight off the teachers’ shoulders.
The HKAHSS hopes the Chief Executive would envision how the above impacts our education profoundly and should develop feasible long-term goals in Education. Without any natural resources, our most valuable assets in Hong Kong are people. We do hope the Chief Executive would cherish our sole resources and put efforts into nurturing them.
香港特別行政區政府行政長官辦公室
| 特首施政報告 | English-version |
行政長官梁振英先生鈞鑒：
過去三年，本會均就施政報告提出我們對香港教育政策的建議，我們曾期盼香港政府能如 特首閣下在二零一二年競選大綱所承諾，「從教育投資做起。優化及適度增加總教育投資，提高本地人才總體教育水平」。唯三年下來，教育政策優化效果未彰，卻見教育界不同持份者間的矛盾衝突、失落無奈處處。能在合適的地方，適時推展恰當的政策，讓教育「減負增能」，重拾向上的軌跡，是教育界共同的願望。
正如我們過去三年就施政報告所作出的建議，我們仍然堅信：
- 教育需要具明確的目標方向，並按目標作出整體規劃，政策制定、優次確立、資源調撥。
- 教育需要與時並進，十多年前的教育改革藍圖推行至今，方向是否恰當？實踐可否徹？成效能否理想？均須全面檢討，以作出配合未來需要的適切規劃。
- 教育體制需要公平開放，能讓不同個性、不同特質、不同社經背景的孩子得到公平學習機會。
- 教育專業需要提昇拓展，充足的專業自主空間、穩定的教師團隊，是優質教育必備的元素。
上述各項涉及教育思維的改變，與及教育政策的重新定位，無論工程如何浩大、改動如何困難，一天不開始從根本再檢視香港教育一遍，教育當局便永遠只能在既有的、或許已日漸薄弱的根基上不斷加建。今天香港家長竭力將孩子送往外地升學，或退而求其次擠進本港國際或直資學校就讀，不正正是以行動表達對香港主流教育體制的懷疑、不信任？若特區政府仍掉以輕心，佔全港中、小學位九成的公營教育體系，如何健康地發展下去？
目下香港教育問題叢生，爭端處處，除了上述根本性的需要，尚有當前急務須處理：
- 教育質素的提昇，端賴各持份者和衷共濟、群策群力，可惜今天教育當局與前線教育仝工溝通未足，對各持份者的訴求諒解欠奉，對教育的真正需要亦知之不深。以至本來不難解決的問題會演化成社會對立，遠的如國教獨立成科，近的有小三TSA，莫不如此。我們期望教育官員能真正急學界所急，與學界共同努力，與各持份者協調溝通，以提昇教育質素。
- 教育牽繫著香港社會今天的安定、明天的發展，沒有具質素的教師團隊，難以有具質素的教育。我們在前線看到的，是人口下降的情況下教師團隊面對的種種衝擊。常額教師職位持續減少，新入職教師難覓常額教席，教師職位的合約化、短期化、臨時化、與及功能化，做成學界的分化、人心的不安定，與及可見將來的教師斷層等等嚴重問題。至於新學制改革所帶來的工作量、持續課程演化中的新生學與教重點如STEM、多元學習要求下日益重要的SEN（有特殊學習需要學生）及 NCS（非華語學生） 學習照顧、社會矛盾中教師所承受的批評，在在均令老師們百上加斤。學界多次要求教育當局邀請獨立團體，對現行的班師比例作出深入的探討研究，難以理解的是為何至今仍未見回應。
教育一事，影響至深且鉅，在帶領香港教育走向未來，我們希望見到的是具質素的長遠規劃、眾志成城的同心協力，抑或是兵來將擋式的短期政策、獨斷獨行的長官意願管治？
香港是一個沒有天然資源的地方，人材是我們城市持續發展的唯一依靠。我們期望 閣下能珍惜我們僅有的資源，並用心栽培，讓之茁壯成長。
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香港中學校長會主席
李雪英謹啓
二零一六年一月十日