Page 15 - COTAP Progress Report 2015

a soft target of 150 CPD hours in each three-year
cycle, which has since been put into practice and
supported by the profession.
Separately, on school leadership, having articulated in the school sector since 1999, whereby schools
the underpinnings of CPD for principals, the
Education Bureau (EDB) prescribed in 2002 a
structure of six core areas of leadership required
of the principals (including strategic direction
and policy environment; learning, teaching and
curriculum; teacher professional growth and
development; staff and resources management;
quality assurance and accountability; and external
communication and connection to the outside
world). These elements have since guided the
overarching professional development and
leadership programmes for aspiring, newly-
appointed and serving principals. The Government
received advice from the then Steering Committee
on Principals’ Professional Development (SCPPD)
on the certification of aspiring principals and the
professional development of newly-appointed and
serving principals. Annex I gives an overview of
these policies.
Hong Kong is often highly commended by overseas
education experts for its school-based approach in
promoting the professional development of the
teaching profession. SBM has been implemented
are given autonomy and entrusted with the
responsibility for student-centred and quality-
focused curriculum design and delivery, resources
management, transparent and accountable
school governance and day-to-day administration.
Through SBM, schools exercise this greater
autonomy and responsibility, taking into account
their own strengths and characteristics. They have
more space to create an enabling environment
conducive to continuous school improvement,
and put in place a rigorous mechanism for school
self-evaluation of the quality of their learning and
teaching, so that student learning and growth will
benefit. School-based decisions and leadership
have, thus, become more important and school
leaders, including principals, vice-principals, middle
leaders, school managers and school supervisors
have to work in close collaboration with one another
in driving school improvement and enhancing
governance.
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