Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals

The Teacher Competencies Framework (TCF) was introduced in 2003 to lay out the landscape of professional growth for teachers. The TCF has since been widely accepted in the school sector as a planning tool for continuing professional development (CPD).

Furthermore, the Government prescribed in 2002 six core areas of leadership for the professional development of principals, namely (1) strategic direction and policy environment; (2) learning, teaching and curriculum; (3) teacher professional growth and development; (4) staff and resources management, (5) quality assurance and accountability; and (6) external communication and connection to the outside world. These six core areas have since guided the overarching professional development and leadership programmes for aspiring, newly appointed and serving principals.

With the series of reforms and changes in the education landscape in the past decade, both the TCF and the six core areas of leadership need to be reviewed, updated and enhanced. After a methodical review of, and reference to, international policies and good practices, and considered in the context of Hong Kong, as well as in-depth discussions with stakeholders, a set of T-standard⁺ has been drafted.

A student-centred approach is adopted in the development of the T-standard⁺ which will encompass the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes required of teachers and principals in the coming decades, for nurturing students’ all-round development and preparing them for the increasingly complex challenges of the 21st century. The following diagram illustrates the interlocking roles of teachers and principals underpinning the T-standard⁺ for the benefit of student learning and growth.

Please click here for details.

Sharing on the professional roles of teachers and principals in relation to student learning and growth can be viewed in the following video clips: