Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools

The Education Ordinance has authorised the Incorporated Management Committees / School Management Committees with the power and responsibility in managing schools. Therefore, schools should formulate their school-based mechanisms and procedures for administering school operation, including the handling of school-related complaints. To this end, the Education Bureau set up the Ad Hoc Committee on Complaints Handling in Schools (the Committee) in September 2011 [renamed as Committee on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools in September 2013] to make recommendation on how to enhance the school complaint handling procedures.

Based on the recommendation of the Committee, three phases of pilot project were launched between the 2012/13 and 2014/15 school years to assist schools to establish a fair, just and transparent mechanism, namely the "Enhanced School Complaint Management Arrangements" (the Enhanced Arrangements), for handling complaints relating to their daily operation and internal affairs lodged by parents, students or members of the public. In view of the positive evaluation results of the pilot project, the Enhanced Arrangements is fully implemented in all public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme schools with effect from 1 September 2017. As all the relevant tasks were completed, the Committee was dissolved in February 2018.

The EDB has accepted all the recommendations made by the Task Force on School-based Management Policy, including expanding the scope of the independent review arrangements to cover school-related complaints lodged by teachers with their schools or the EDB direct. Applicable to all aided, caput and DSS schools, this initiative will take effect from 10 February 2020. Review requests made by teachers of government schools will continue to be dealt with in accordance with relevant EDB circulars, guidelines, etc.

For details of the Enhanced Arrangements, please refer to the following:

• Brief of the Enhanced School Complaint Management Arrangements (Updated on 5.6.2018)
• Independent review arrangements(Updated on 18.1.2023)
• List of Schools Implementing the Enhanced School Complaint Management Arrangements 
• Guidelines for Handling School Complaints (Updated in 5 Oct 2023)
• List of Basic Principles and Arrangements for Handling Complaints (Updated on 22.1.2020)
• An investigation checklist
   
• Template of School Investigation Report
   
• Case report (Example 1)
   
• Case report (Example 2)
   
• FAQs 

Related Information

Seminars / Sharings

2022/23 School Year  

• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 2.5.2023 

2020/21 School Year  

• Experience Sharing on Handling Complaint by Mediation on 25.11.2020
  • Application of Mediation in School
  • Preventing School Complaints : Conflict management & Case sharing

• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 9.3.2021
  

2019/20 School Year  

• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 19.11.2019 

• Experience Sharing on School Complaint Handling on 12.3.2019
  • Handling School Complaints : Understanding and Handling of High Conflict Complainants
  • Preventing School Complaints : Conflict management

2017/18 School Year

• Seminar on Legal Matters in Relation to Handling of School Complaints on 6.10.2017
  • "Six Ws" in Handling School Complaints
  • Handling School Complaints: School Liabilities and Preventive Measures and The Law and Factors Outside Legal Considerations
  • Handling School Complaints: Analysis of Typical Cases 
• Experience Sharing on School Complaint Handling on 26.2.2018
  • Whole-school Approach Strategy to Prevent and Resolve School Complaints 
  • Handy Tips and Skills on Handling and Resolving School Complaints
• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 12.04.2018 

2016/17 School Year

• Master Mind for Handling Complaints: Building Stress Resilience and Emotional Competence on 24.11.2016
• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 10.04.2017 

2015/16 School Year

• Experience Sharing on School Complaint Handling on 19.10.2015
  • Change, Conflict and Complaints
  • Preventing and Resolving School Complaints by Active Listening and Reframing
  • Understanding and Handling of High Conflict Complainants
• Seminar on Legal Matters in Relation to Handling of School Complaints on 12.11.2015
• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 17.05.2016

2014/15 School Year  

• Seminar on the Experience Sharing on School Complaint Handling on 29.10.2014
  • Preventing and Resolving School Complaints by Enhancing Home-school Communication
  • Handling and Resolving School Complaints through Mediation
  • Understanding the Nature of Difficult Complainants and Handling of Unreasonable Behaviour
• Seminar on Legal Matters in Relation to Handling of School Complaints on 21.1.2015
  • Legal Liability of Schools 
  • Legal Considerations for Handling of School Complaints 
  • Legal Knowledge for Handling of School Complaints 
• Enhancing School Governance: Experience Sharing Session of Pilot Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools on 3.3.2015
• Sharing Session on the "Pilot Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools" (jointly organised by Education Bureau, Subsidized Primary School Council and HK Aided Primary School Heads Association) on 28.4.2015
  • Experience sharing on the "Pilot Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools"
  • Experience sharing of pilot school (primary)
• Sharing Session on the"Pilot Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools" (jointly organised by Education Bureau and HK Subsidized Secondary Schools Council) on 8.5.2015
  • Experience sharing on the "Pilot Project on Enhancement of Complaint Management in Schools"
  • Experience sharing of pilot school (secondary)
• Seminar on School Complaint Handling: Concerns related to Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance on 16.6.2015

LegCo Paper

• LegCo Paper on the "Pilot Project on Revised School Complaints Handling Arrangements" (Meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Education on 7.2.2013)

Reference

• School Administration Guide (applicable to aided schools) (Sections 4.4 & 7.9)
• Reference materials on Mediation (Updated on 22.1.2020)
• Personnel Management in Schools 
• ICAC Corruption Prevention Best Practices: Governance and Internal Control in Schools  
• Website of Equal Opportunities Commission
  • Code of Practice on Employment under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (2011)
  • Easy Read Guide to the Code of Practice on Employment under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (2011)
  • Code of Practice on Education under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance 
  • Questions and Answers on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Schools
  • Racial Equality and School Uniform
• Website of Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data
• Website of Occupational Safety and Health in the Civil Service: DIY Kit on Prevention of Workplace Violence