A preliminary study of the staff development programmes in Hong Kong schools

Hong Kong schools experience an era of educational change in the 1990s. The major change items fall into the categories of school management (SMI - School Management Initiative and SBM - School Based Management); curriculum (TOC - Target Oriented Curriculum and curriculum adaptation); medium of instruction (EMI and CMI - English or Chinese Medium Instruction schools); educational technology (SAMs and information technology in teaching) and funding system (Quality Education Fund). To further enhance the quality of school education, the Education Commission Report No.7 recommends the setting up of (1) a framework for raising the professional standards of principals and teachers and (2) quality indicators for school performance. These changes denote a demand for professional development programmes for teachers so that they can better meet changing needs and difficulties. The purpose of this study is to look into the issue of staff development programmes in local schools and see how the professional needs of teachers and schools are met. Copyright © 2000 New Horizons in Education.