Parent as school manager: The case of introducing the incorporated management committee in Hong Kong

Parent Involvement in Hong Kong has reached a milestone in 2005, when all subsidized schools are expected to set up, within five years, an Incorporated Management Committee (IMC) to manage the school. The IMC is meant to replace the existing School Management Committee, which is completely controlled by the School Sponsoring Body (SSB). This is the result of the pass of the Education (Amendment) Bill 2002 after a long and vigorous debate in the legislative council and in the community. The compulsory introduction of the IMC for school governing has encountered strong opposition from a few major SSBs with religious background. Substantial amendments of the Bill have been made. The proposed IMC will be composed of parent(s), teacher(s), alumni, independent person(s), school principal as well as the members appointed by the SSB. The setting up of the IMC will be subject to review after three years of implementation. A few SSBs have expressed publicly that they would not adhere to the ruling of this Education Ordinance. This paper attempts to clarify the nature of the debate. Documentary analysis and literature review are employed. The views of various stakeholders, including the Government, the school sponsoring bodies, parents and teachers are compared and contrasted. The areas of concern of various stakeholders, including political, management and educational concerns, are identified. Issues of parent as manager are discussed. They include the role of parent manager in IMC, skills and training of parent manager, and the issue of trust and respect among future IMC members.