For discussion
on 5 June 1996
EC(96-97)15

ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 40 - EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Subhead 001 Salaries

Members are invited to recommend to the Finance Committee the deletion of the following permanent posts in the Education Department with effect from 1 July 1996 -

1 Assistant Director of Education

(D2) ($95,550 - $101,450)

4 Principal Education Officer

(D1) ($80,450 - $85,400)



PROBLEM

We need to delete five directorate posts, which we have frozen on the establishment of the Education Department (ED) since September 1994 upon the secondment of the incumbents to the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), after the completion of the secondment.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Education proposes to delete -

(a) one post of Assistant Director of Education (AD of E) in the former Institute of Language in Education (ILE); and

(b) four posts of Principal Education Officer (PEO) in the former Colleges of Education and the Hong Kong Technical Teachers' College (Colleges).

JUSTIFICATION

3. The Finance Committee approved on 27 May 1994 the transfer of 717 permanent posts, including five directorate posts in the former ILE and Colleges, from the ED to the HKIEd with effect from 1 September 1994. We seconded the staff occupying these posts to the HKIEd on the same date. We have frozen these 717 posts on the establishment of ED and will delete them when the secondees are confirmed to the establishment of the HKIEd, return to the ED or leave the civil service.

4. Since September 1994, of the staff whom we seconded to the HKIEd, the AD of E has left the civil service and three PEOs have retired from the civil service. The remaining PEO has proceeded on pre-retirement leave which will expire on 30 June 1996. We do not therefore require the five directorate posts after that date.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

5. The notional annual mid-point salary and full annual average staff cost values involved in this proposal are-

Rank

Notional
annual
mid-point
salary
$

Full annual
average
staff cost
$

No. of
Posts

Assistant Director of Education

1,182,600

2,131,488

1

Principal Education Officer

3,976,800

6,138,336

4

5,159,400

8,269,824

5

6. Under the existing arrangement, the HKIEd reimburses Government the cost of the secondees to the Institute. The deletion of the directorate posts mentioned in paragraph 5 above will not give rise to savings in the ED.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

7. We established the HKIEd on 25 April 1994 to take over from the ED the responsibility of teacher education with a view to upgrading the quality of teacher education and providing continuous professional development of teachers. We seconded the staff of the former Colleges and ILE of the ED to the HKIEd from 1 September 1994 to enable the continued operation of the courses on offer at the time.

CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH COMMENTS

8. The Civil Service Branch supports the deletion of the five directorate posts.

RECOMMENDATION OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON DIRECTORATE SALARIES AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

9. The deletion of the posts, if approved, will be reported to the Standing Committee in accordance with the agreed procedure.

Education and Manpower Branch

May 1996

(E4659/WIN77)


Last Updated on 3 December 1998