Hong Kong education Authorities plan to eliminate a cash retention bonus and cut gratuities for native English-speaking teachers (NETs) who will be employed under a new hiring framework in public sector schools starting in September.
This choice is part of an evaluation of the NETs recruitment program, through which the administration will additionally provide a new yearly one-time payment based on the midpoint salaries Of those employed through the current system, primary schools receive HK$900,000, while secondary schools get HK$1 million.
The specifics, disclosed by the Education Bureau in a document presented to them, are as follows: Legislative Council on Tuesday, confirmed an earlier Post report Upon adding a new cash grant choice atop the present system where schools have options to select from.
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School principals opting for this new choice have the opportunity to employ at least one NET along with additional native English-speaking teaching assistants. Under the present program, they are allowed to hire just one instructor like this, whose salary depends on their experience level.
The agency stated that educational institutions choosing this new funding option must assess the compensation packages for NETs by considering factors such as their credentials, professional history, and degree of accountability when contrasted with educators undertaking comparable responsibilities.
The statement indicated that they would eliminate the retention bonus for newly recruited NETs who choose the lump sum option beginning with the upcoming academic year, and also decrease the gratuity amount.
Given that the introduction of the retention incentive in 2005 was aimed at addressing the significant attrition rates amongNETs back then, but more recently these rates have stabilized below 10 percent, the Education Bureau has opted to merge the retention incentive with the gratuity into one compensation package for new NET hires. This decision reflects their common objective of keeping NETs engaged in continued service, according to the statement.
At present, employees who have been with the company for two or more years receive a retention bonus ranging from 5% to 10% of their base salary. This bonus is issued monthly once they sign a new contract.
Now, NETs also get a gratuity equivalent to 15 percent of their salary when they finish their two-year contract. However, the bureau mentioned that this gratuity will be reduced to 10 percent for the initial two contracts; it will increase back to 15 percent only after subsequent renewals.
Lee Yi-ying, who chairs the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, stated that the outcomes of the review have safeguarded the rights ofNETs under the initial plan and provided adaptability.
"It enables educational institutions to selectively adopt options that best suit their needs for enhancing English proficiency," stated Lee, who serves as a high school principal.
Approximately 470 and 380 NETs were employed in public sector primary and secondary schools, respectively, for the 2024-25 academic year.
Their salaries may vary from HK$35,080 (US$4,500) to HK$67,850 for primary school teachers, or reach as high as HK$81,510 for those teaching at the secondary level.
Travel allowances, luggage subsidies, and medical expense reimbursements are available for educators residing outside of Hong Kong. Additionally, a special monthly stipend of HK$20,989 is granted.
The present program commenced during the 1998-99 academic year for secondary schools and began in the 2002-03 period for primary schools. This implementation followed a recommendation from an education commission report issued in 1996 aimed at tackling the shortage of locally trained English educators as well as reversing the downturn in linguistic skills.
In September 2023, the agency established a special team to examine the program following an assessment that indicated substantial improvements in the credentials and expertise of local English instructors throughout the last twenty years, coupled with their minimal attrition rate.
The agency stated that institutions choosing this new approach ought to make full use of the fixed amount provided. If these entities end up with more than a thirty percent leftover from their yearly allocation, an additional portion will be reclaimed.
The sector largely backed the new initiatives, particularly because the grant choice enabled schools to grow from employing just oneNET to establishing a whole team of NETs along with native-speaking English teaching assistants.
Many educational institutions also welcomed the flexibility of being able to change their choices based on the prevailing employment conditions.
The association of native English-speaking teachers has been contacted for their input.
The projected spending for the NET scheme during the present fiscal year amounts to HK$999.6 million. This figure reflects an increment of 6.3 percent compared to the expenditures recorded in the previous period from 2023-24, primarily due to teacher headcount.
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