II.

GRANT OF AID TO PRACTICAL SCHOOLS AND SKILLS OPPORTUNITY SCHOOLS

Government aid and fees to be calculated so as to enable practical schools/ skills opportunity schools to provide education of an acceptable standard

6.

The kinds of grant necessary to cover the normal expenditure of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school shall be calculated in such a way that such grants together with the income from boarding fees, in those schools where such fees are chargeable, should in general be sufficient to enable an aided practical school/skills opportunity school to provide education of a standard acceptable to the Director, subject to the provisions of this Code of Aid.

 

Aid to consist of grants of specified kinds

(Please read in conjunction with:

EDBC5/99 Revised Administration Grant;

EDBC52/99 Supplementary Grant for School-based Management;

EDBC60/99 Substitute Teacher Grant and Funding Flexibility;

EDBC27/2000 Operating Expenses Block Grant for Aided Schools;

EDBC2/2001A Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant and Transition Furniture and Equipment Grant for Aided Schools;
EDBCM152/2004 Capacity Enhancement Grant;
EDBCM194/2004 Operating Expenses Block Grant and Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant for Aided Schools for 2004/05 School Year ; and

Circular letter dated 5.1.2000 Grant for Practical/Technical Subjects (S1-S3) in Practical Schools, Skills Opportunity Schools and Schools for Social Development.)

7.

Aid to practical schools/skills opportunity schools may consist of one or more of the following grants :

 

(a)

Recurrent Grants -

 

 

i)

Salaries Grant

 

 

ii)

Administration Grant

 

 

iii)

School and Class Grant

 

 

iv)

Rent and Rates Grants

 

 

v)

Boarding Grant

 

 

vi)

Lift Maintenance Grant

 

(b)

Non-recurrent and Capital Grants

 

(c)

Recurrent and Non-recurrent Grants for curriculum development

 

Director to determine grants

8.

(a)

The Director shall, after making such inquiries as he considers necessary, determine to which practical schools/skills opportunity schools grants are to be made, and shall determine the kind and amount of grant to be made to each such school.

 

(b)

The Director may withdraw a grant wholly or in part if he is satisfied that the practical school/skills opportunity school to which the grant was made is no longer in need of such grant or part of such grant.

 

Powers of the Director to reduce or withdraw grants

9.

(a)

The Director may, if it appears to him that the Management Committee is not managing the practical school/skills opportunity school satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner, or that the class structure is not being organized in such a manner as may be determined by the Director from time to time in accordance with Section 11(b) below, reduce or withdraw any grant made to such school. The Director shall cause a notice in writing to be served on the Management Committee of such practical school/skills opportunity school, setting out the grounds on which it appears to him that the practical school/skills opportunity school is not being managed satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner, or that the class structure is not being organized in accordance with Section 11(b) below; and giving formal warning that consideration is being given to reduction or withdrawal of grants.

 

(b)

If, after a period of three months from the date of the notice specified in (a), the Director is satisfied that the Management Committee is not managing the practical school/skills opportunity school satisfactorily, or that the education of the pupils is not being promoted in a proper manner, or that the class structure is not being organized in accordance with Section 11(b) below, he shall cause a notice in writing to be served on the Management Committee of the practical school/skills opportunity school, stating his intention to reduce or withdraw the grant at the termination of a period of three months from the date of such notice.

 

(c)

Notwithstanding (a) and (b) above, the Director may, in cases where he is satisfied that there has been serious financial irregularity, reduce or withdraw any grant as he deems fit. The Director may require the Management Committee of such practical school/skills opportunity school to refund to the Government all building, special expenditure or recurrent grants received, or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.

 

Grants to be refunded in certain circumstances

10.

(a)

If the Management Committee of a practical school/skills opportunity school wishes to cease to manage and conduct the school under the terms of this Code of Aid, it shall give to the Director three months' notice in writing of such intention, and may be required on the termination of such three months' notice, to refund to the Government all Recurrent and Non-recurrent Grants or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.

 

(b)

The Director may, if for any reason a practical school/skills opportunity school ceases to be granted aid under the terms of this Code of Aid, require the Management Committee of such school to refund to the Government all Recurrent and Non-recurrent Grants received, or an equitable proportion of such grants as assessed by the Government.

 

Director to approve expansion

11.

(a)

No additional aid shall be granted in respect of the expansion of an aided practical school/skills opportunity school, unless such expansion has received the approval of the Director in writing.

 

(b)

The class structure of the practical school/skills opportunity school shall be such as may be determined by the Director from time to time in the light of public interest and with due regard to the accommodation and facilities available in the school and after full consultation with the Management Committee.

 

Subscriptions

Director may allow subscriptions to be charged

(Please read in conjunction with:
EDBC46/99 Collection of Fines, Charges and Fees for Specific Purposes, and Use of the Subscription (Tong Fai)/General Funds Account; and
EDBC12/2002 Collection of Registration Fees, Entrance Examination Fees and Other Charges.)

 

12.

(a)

The Director may permit a practical school/skills opportunity school to charge subscriptions for expenditure on school and educational needs approved by him. The amount of such subscriptions in each practical school/skills opportunity school shall be subject to the approval of the Director.

 

(b)

However, no subscriptions should be charged in Primary Classes and in Secondary I-III as a result of implementation of free primary and junior secondary education, except in very special cases with the approval of the Director.

 

(c)

A practical school/skills opportunity school may not transfer income arising from subscriptions to any other body, or to a fund separately kept by the sponsoring body for educational development or any other purpose, unless such transfer has been approved by the Director and his approval notified in writing.

 

Method of payment of subscriptions

13.

Unless otherwise permitted in writing by the Director, the amount of subscriptions shall be collected in ten equal instalments payable on or after the first school day of each of the months September to June inclusive; provided that Supervisors may if they wish require payment of the September instalment not earlier than 1 August.

 

Income to be used for provision of facilities in the school

(Please reEDBC in conjunction with:
EDBC46/99 Collection of Fines, Charges and Fees for Specific Purposes, and Use of the Subscription (Tong Fai)/General Funds Account;
EDBC12/2002 Collection of Registration Fees, Entrance Examination Fees and Other Charges.)

14.

(a)

The income of a practical school/skills opportunity school managed and conducted under the terms of this Code of Aid, whether derived from grants, fees or any other source other than donations, shall be expended only on the provision of approved educational facilities and activities to the benefit of pupils and approved existing commitments in such practical school/skills opportunity school, and shall not be used for any other purpose unless with the approval of the Director, notified in writing. Where the justification for expenditure rests on existing obligations and commitments, written covering approval must be sought from the Director.

 

(b)

In practical schools/skills opportunity schools where no fee is charged, all income from non-government sources shall be placed in a General Fund and shall, unless the Director shall have otherwise determined, be expended only on such purposes as the Director shall have approved.

 

Acceptance of donations

(Please read in conjunction with:
EDBC2/2003 The Choice of Bank Counterparties in the Investment of Public Assets; and
EDBC14/2003 Acceptance of Advantages and Donations by Schools and their Staff.)

15.

(a)

The Management Committee of a practical school/skills opportunity school should seek prior approval of the Director before accepting donations which may involve annual recurrent expenditure either from the Government or school funds. The Director should be advised that a donation has been made even if his prior approval is not required. All such income must be properly reflected in the Subscriptions/General Funds Account and reported quarterly.

 

(b)

The Management Committee of a practical school/skills opportunity school should note that before donations are accepted it must be fully satisfied that there is no connection between the donation and any student's standing or possible future standing in the practical school/skills opportunity school and that the offers of donations from commercial concerns cannot be interpreted in any way as inducements.

 

Other income to be taken into account

16.

Where an aided practical school/skills opportunity school with the written permission of the Director operates a non-aided school in its school premises, or lets any part or all of its premises for any purposes, the rental or profit so received shall be credited to the school accounts in such proportion as the Director may determine.

 

 

Surpluses/Deficits

Surpluses to be carried forward and deficits to be transferred

(Please read in conjunction with:
EDBC27/2000 Operating Expenses Block Grant for Aided Schools; and
EDBCM194/2004 Operating Expenses Block Grant and Composite Furniture and Equipment Grant for Aided Schools for 2004/05 School Year.)

 

17.

(a)

If in any year there is a surplus in the Administration Grant, School and Class Grant and Boarding Grant, it shall be carried forward in the respective accounts. However, if there is a net deficit after taking into account any surplus brought forward from the preceding year, it shall forthwith be transferred to the Subscriptions/ General Funds Account at the end of the accounting year, or the financial year as the case may be.

 

(b)

A school will not be permitted to retain in the Administration Grant Account a surplus in excess of three months' provision and in the Accounts for the School and Class Grant and Boarding Grant, a surplus in excess of six months' provision calculated at standard current rates. The surpluses in excess of the permitted level will be set off against grants payable to the school on an annual basis.