Schools upset after subsidy axed

MANY schools are dismayed by the Education Bureau’s decision to scrap the extensive reading scheme (廣泛閱讀計劃 ) subsidy at the start of the 2016/17 school year. The Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union (HKPTU, 香港教育專業人員協會 ) sent out questionnaires to more than 200 schools following the decision. The union found that over 95 percent of the schools disagreed with the bureau’s move.

The union criticised the government for cancelling the subsidy without consulting the schools. Most of them only found out after reading the small print in the bureau’s guidelines on subsidies. This means most schools were unprepared for the cut. The survey also found that 95 percent of the schools think that the bureau does not consult them enough.

The HKPTU believes that the bureau should reverse its decision and reinstate the scheme again. The union also says when the bureau tries to limit spending, it should consider its internal budget before cancelling subsidies for schools.

(This article is published on Goodies on 16 November 2016)