Quality education: Secretary for Education Michael Suen announces details of the voluntary class-reduction scheme.

The Education Bureau will invite secondary schools to consider optimising their class structure through a voluntary class-reduction scheme.

Secretary for Education Michael Suen today said the measure will provide schools with a more stable environment, facilitating their sustainable development, and the smooth implementation of the new senior secondary academic structure.

"The measure will enable schools to have more teaching space and to provide students with more diversified subject choices in the implementation of the new senior secondary curriculum."

Effective date

In principle, class restructuring will take effect from the 2011-12 school year. Special consideration will be given to schools ready for early implementation in the 2010-11 school year.

"Schools should fully consult their stakeholders and obtain the endorsement of their school management committees or incorporated management committees before submitting their applications to the bureau," he said.

To allow participating schools sufficient time to prepare for staff deployment and to provide teachers with a more stable working environment, a five-year toleration period will be offered to retain teachers who are already on the existing staff establishment.

The double-cohort year (2011-12 school year) will not be counted towards this period. According to established practice, the class-based grants payable to schools will be offset during the toleration period, but an additional subsidy of $250,000 per annum will be provided to schools to implement the new curriculum.

Application procedures

Schools are required to submit applications by the end of the 2010-11 school year, that is August 31, 2011, before they are entitled to retain their teachers and granted an additional subsidy during the five-year toleration period.

To tie in with the timetable of the secondary school places allocation exercise, schools which intend to optimise their class structure in the 2010-11 school year should submit the applications by April 9 this year.