APPENDIX D

Letter of 27^th January 1997 to the Governor tendering
advice on the lowering of salary bar for the Assistant
Education Officer rank

27^th January 1997

The Right Honourable Christopher Patten
Governor of Hong Kong
Government House
Hong Kong

Dear Sir,

Proposed Lowering of the Salary Bar for
Assistant Education Officer Rank

We have been invited by the Administration to advise, under clause 1(b) of our Terms of Reference, on the proposal to lower the salary bar for the Assistant Education Officer (AEO) rank from MPS Point 27 to MPS Point 22 for officers to be appointed on or after 1st September 1997.

BACKGROUND

2.The AEO rank is the entry rank for the Education Officer (EO) grade. The existing rank structure and salary scales of the EO grade are as follows -

3.For appointment to the AEO rank, candidates are required to possess either a degree or a degree plus a Post-graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Appointees with a degree only enter the pay scale at MPS Point 17 (currently $19,535) and are barred from proceeding beyond MPS Point 27 (currently $31,230) and from promotion, unless they acquire a PGCE in the interval. They will be awarded two additional increments after successful acquisition of the PGCE. Appointees already in possession of a PGCE enter at MPS Point 19 (currently $21,525) and will progress up the scale without being subjected to any incremental bar.

THE ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSAL

4.Following acceptance of the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications (ACTEQ), the Administration now proposes that the salary bar for the AEO rank be lowered from MPS Point 27 to MPS Point 22.

5.In order to improve the quality of teaching, ACTEQ considered that in the longer term, all graduate teachers in secondary schools should possess a degree plus a PGCE. The target date to achieve this is September 2004. In the interim, ACTEQ considered that all graduate teachers who are untrained should be allowed no more than six years in which to acquire a PGCE. Hence there is a need to lower the salary bar of the AEO rank from MPS Point 27 to MPS Point 22. This new requirement will only be applied to graduate teachers recruited on or after 1st September 1997. Serving AEOs will not be affected.

COMMISSION'S VIEWS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.The need for the salary bar in the EO grade was reviewed by the Commission in 1980 and again in 1989. On both occasions, the bar was retained as an incentive for untrained graduate teachers to acquire a PGCE which was considered necessary for the competent performance of an EO's job.

7.The current bar at MPS Point 27 allows fresh appointees to the AEO rank a maximum period of 11 years during which to undertake part-time studies to acquire the PGCE. ACTEQ's recommendation will have the effect of shortening this period to within the first six years of their service. This will assist in instilling a sense of commitment and professionalism to young graduate teachers at an earlier stage in their career, in furtherance of the Government's objective of upgrading the quality of teaching in secondary schools in Hong Kong.

8.Lowering the salary bar of the AEO rank from MPS Point 27 to MPS Point 22 does not, in any way, alter the duties and responsibilities of the AEO rank. There is therefore no implication on the salary and structure of the EO grade as a whole. The Administration is aware of the implications on the Primary School Master (PSM) grade where a similar bar exists at MPS Point 27 for the Assistant Primary School Master rank, the entry rank for the PSM grade. The Administration proposes to deal with this issue at a later stage when it is in a position to undertake a complete review of the PSM grade in connection with the determination of an appropriate entry salary point for degree graduates from the Hong Kong Institute of Education joining the PSM grade. This is likely to be in the year 2000. We see no objection to this proposal.

9.As the salary bar arrangement is applicable only to the Education grades, the proposal will not give rise to other service-wide implications.

CONCLUSION

10.In conclusion, we support the Administration's proposal which, we consider, is a step in the right direction in upgrading the quality of teaching in secondary schools in Hong Kong.