Submitted to the Secretary of the Task Force on School-based Management Policy

Submitted to the Secretary of the Task Force on School-based Management Policy

 

Views by the Executive Committee of HKAHSS on the Consultation Paper regarding the Consultation Document on the Task Force on School-based Management Policy

中文原文

6th September, 2018

1. The Executive Committee welcomes the 17 preliminary recommendations made in the Consultation Document.
2. Regarding paragraph 15.3.x of the Consultation Document, we opine that there is no need to set compulsory requirements for the training for IMC members. Instead, a soft approach should be adopted to encourage IMC members to participate in relevant training course or online programmes.
3. The core mission of a teacher is to foster students’ education and healthy development. Therefore we fully support proposal on paragraph 19 of the Consultation Document on the simplification of work in schools while strengthening the administrative support. Besides, we also welcome the recommendation made in paragraph 20.1. xii to provide schools with administrative support staff who possess university qualifications. For simplification of the work process, the Education Bureau should embark on the review of the requirement for schools to write up proposals and reports for funds application, setting up assessment tools for mid-term and end-term reviews as well as uploading reports onto the school website. It is reasonable to have these requirements for new measures. However, for measures that have been in place and funds disbursed for a long time, say over 10 years, the requirement will inevitably cause unnecessary workload with low or no educational value. Simplifying non-teaching work together with the provision of administrative support staff can truly allow teachers to focus on their teaching.
4. The Executive Committee believes that the Education Bureau should establish a support team to plan for the introduction of school administrative support staff as proposed by the Task Group. It is necessary to plan holistically, such as defining the work scope, provision of pre-service and continuous training as well as professional support. This is important for talents to be kept with good training and clear careers prospects.
5. To enhance the professionalism of both teachers and principals, The Executive Committee believes that a research would do them justice. The Education Bureau should consider entrusting tertiary institutions or consultants to conduct work method studies for teachers and principals so that planning in this area can be formulated based on concrete evidence.

As mentioned in paragraph 10 of the Consultation Document, school-based management has been implemented for many years with practices generally well in place. From the work scope defined in paragraph 11 (which will focus on improving the quality of governance, enhancing its administrative effectiveness and promoting the participation of stakeholders on school governance), we need to rethink that the core business of a school is to educate students. Can school-based management improve and strengthen the educational effectiveness of the school? In a main, can it make students learn better? Perhaps a thorough review should be conducted to answer these very pertinent questions instead of focusing on administrative effectiveness and school governance. 

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對「校本管理政策專責小組」諮詢文件的意見

「校本管理政策專責小組」

English version

敬啟者：

香港中學校長會執行委員會

1. 香港中學校長會執行委員會(執委會) 基本上歡迎諮詢文件所提出的十七項初步建議。
2. 就諮詢文件第3段第 (x) 項建議，執委會認為不宜為法團校董會的校董訂定強制的基本培訓要求，應沿用現時的軟指標方式，鼓勵校董參加面授或網上課程。
3. 教師的核心專業任務是學與教和培育學生成長，執委會特別支持諮詢文件第19段對精簡程序及加強行政支援，和 1段第 (xii) 項建議為學校提供持有大學學位的行政支援專責人員，執委會認為教育局應盡快檢視如何真正精簡行政，減少目前大量成效未明的文件撰寫工作。目前政府對大部份學校專項撥款均要求學校撰寫計劃書、設置評估工具、作學期中及學期終檢討等，並上載至學校網頁。對全新撥款，在學校未熟習撥款使用方向，此項要求仍可理解。但當部份撥款已行之超越十年而仍有此要求，則只會讓學校的計劃書、報告書無止境地只增不減，篇幅越來越多，對提升學校的教育能量裨益不大。而當學校行政及財務管理要求日高，讓學校設置具高學歷的行政支援專責人員，才能真正讓教師專注於核心的教育工作。
4. 執委會認為教育局應負起學校行政支援專責人員隊伍的建設工作，要在育才儲才上有通盤的規劃，例如設計標準的工作範圍、統籌入職培訓和持續培訓課程、提供事業發展階梯等，避免行政支援專責人員變成無培訓、無發展、無專業的職位。
5. 就如何進一步釋放教師和校長空間方面，執委會認為應以研究實證為基礎，教育局可考慮委託大專院校或顧問公司，進行教師和校長的工作方法研究 (Work Method Study) 。
6. 就諮詢文件第10段提及校本管理推行多年，大體上運作得當，井然有序，而第11段界定了專責小組主要探討如何改善管治質素、如何加強行政效能、如何促進主要持分者的參與學校管治，但學校的主要功能是教育莘莘學子，校本管理到最後是否能提升、加強學校的教育效能？是否能協助建立一個有利教育的學校文化？是否能讓學生學得更好？就校本管理對學校教育效能的影響，應有實證為本的檢討。
7. 執委會欣賞「校本管理政策專責小組」的努力，惟小組因職權範圍的限制，可以致未能就學界關心的合理教師人手編制、學校所需要的專業支援人員和技術人員的設置等問題作深入研究，希望教育局能積極主動，跟進相關問題。

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香港中學校長會署理主席

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鄧振強校長   謹啟

二零一八年九月六日