School-based management and the requirement for principals to undergo continuing professional
development allowschools greater flexibility in resource utilization, and principals have to adjust their
role and practices in leading their schools. However, the school-based management and continuing
professional development required by the Education Department are mainly for publicly funded
schools. Early childhood educational settings, for example kindergartens, which are privately owned
and operated, are theoretically immune to these policies.However, following the global developments
in early childhood education and the education reforms inHong Kong, the quality of pre-primary education
became a concern for the Hong Kong community and government. The Pre-primary Education
Voucher Scheme (PEVS), which was implemented in 2007–2008, aims mainly at ensuring that all
Hong Kong children can receive affordable and quality pre-primary education through direct fee subsidies
provided to parents with young children attending kindergartens.Non-profit-making kindergartens
can join the scheme and obtain financial support from the government for upgrading the
qualifications of serving teachers and principals. Serving KG principals are required to complete the
PrincipalshipCertification Course3 by the end of the school year 2012–2013; and fromthe school year
2009–2010, newly appointedKGprincipals have had to complete the course before taking up the posts.
In the meantime, a quality assurance mechanism for kindergartens was put in place in the school year
2007–2008. PEVS kindergartens are required to compile two documents annually – a School Report
and anAnnual School Plan – for school development and accountability purposes. The School Report
should include a self-evaluation of the kindergarten’s performance and the annual School Plan should
provide details about the strategic planning for school improvement in the coming school year. The
kindergartens’ self-evaluation is to be validated in the form of a Quality Review by the Education
Bureau (EDB) from the end of the school year 2011–2012. Thus, the education reforms and general
awareness of the quality of Hong Kong’s school education have called for increased accountability
and improvement in Hong Kong’s pre-primary education.