Job Discussion Forums

[Serious_Fun]

Legislator says teacher training reimbursement scheme unfair
2007-05-09 HKT 19:31


Liberal Party legislator, Tommy Cheung, has accused the government of discriminating against teachers working in profit-making kindergartens. The government expects all serving kindergarten teachers to obtain a Certificate in Early Childhood Education by 2012. But while teachers working for non-profit-making kindergartens can get their course fees reimbursed in full by the government, those working for profit-making ones can only get up to half the amount reimbursed. Mr Cheung said this was unfair for teachers in profit-making kindergartens.

[anninhk]

I supect the Gov expects the profit making ones to pay for the training out of their profits! I wonder how long this scheme will run as I can foresee the kindergarten teachers moving on from non-profit to profit as soon as they have qualified!

[11:59]

More educationally-inspired shenanigans! As noted by George Adams in his 'Hong Kong Watching' (AIP, 1994), "Hong Kong is a clown show without the red noses and funny hats" (pp.ii-iii). This is another classic example of this very real state of affairs, and this example is especially ironic as I for one always considered the EMB itself to be nothing but a profit-making kindergarten.

Anyway, so teachers in 'profit-making' kindergartens will not receive any reimbursement for their expenditure brought about by having to take the Certificate in Early Childhood Education, while their counterparts in 'non-profit-making' will do so. Given the HK mentality and the business-oriented nature of the place I think all that will happen is that the former will simply transform themselves into the latter. I do not think this is too overly difficult to achieve as they are essentially the same anyway (hence the scare quotes). As I understand it, profit is basically any funds left over after all outgoings have been paid, i.e., it is the difference between income and expenditure (including salaries). All they have to do then is increase a few salaries here and there so that there is no 'profit' made.