Policy Address

X. Education and Youth Development

Kindergarten Education

204. The Government will implement the free quality kindergarten education policy from the next school year. Eligible local non-profit-making kindergartens will be provided with a direct subsidy for quality half-day education services. The Government will also provide an additional grant for whole-day and long whole-day kindergartens, and a grant for kindergarten students from needy families to cover their school-related expenses. To help eligible kindergartens implement the new policy, the Government will provide them with a one-off grant in the 2016/17 school year. It is estimated that the Government’s recurrent expenditure on kindergarten education will increase by around $2.7 billion, and approximately 70% to 80% of subsidised half-day kindergarten places will be free-of-charge.

205. The Government will invite the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR) to consider making use of the Language Fund to provide Chinese and English enhancement programmes for kindergarten teachers, including training on skills in teaching Chinese to non-Chinese speaking students.

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