Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers - Frequently Asked Questions

∗ “The Programme” refers to the Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers

A. Training Purposes and Contents

Why are NJTs required to attend the Programme? What are the Programme contents?

The Programme caters for their needs of professional growth. The core training aims to promote NJTs’ reflection on their professional roles and to enhance their understanding of local education policies and initiatives, as well as national and international education development. The elective training provides opportunities for NJTs to focus on relevant programmes/activities according to their strengths, interests or career development needs. For details of the Programme, please refer to EDB webpage https://www.edb.gov.hk/cpd/en.

What are the contents of the core training of the Programme? When are the courses usually held?

The core training of the Programmes are provided by EDB and regularly organised every school year. The course ID begins with PDT. NJTs should refer to the announcement on the Training Calendar System (TCS) and EDB webpage regularly. The table below provides a summary of the core training of the Programme:

Content of Core Training		Training Hours
Category 1	Workshop on Teachers’ Professional Identity	6	12 in total
	T-standard⁺ Online Course	3
	Training Programme on the Constitution, the Basic Law and Hong Kong National Security Education	3
Category 2	Mainland Study Tour for Newly-joined Teachers	18

Note: Each of the above courses should be taken once only. No CPD hours will be awarded for repeated enrolment on the same course.

What are the differences between the T-standard⁺ Online Course (“Online Course”) and the Training Package on T-standard⁺ for Schools (“Package”)?

The Online Course provided by EDB is designed to cater for NJTs’ needs at work. The contents include scenario analysis, interactive games and videos which are pertinent to their daily work such as classroom management, teacher-student relationship, teaching strategies, etc. The course belongs to the core training (Category 1) and the enrolment of NJTs is mandatory.

As for the Package, it is provided for schools’ flexible deployment on staff development days or at other appropriate training opportunities, taking into account their school-based circumstances, to enhance teachers’ continuing professional development as well as to cultivate a reflective culture.

NJTs who have participated in school-based training programme that is designed with reference to the Package cannot be considered as completing the Online Course.

Does the Mainland Study Tour for NJTs belong to the core training of the Programme?

The Mainland Study Tour for NJTs organised by EDB belongs to the core Training (Category 2). NJTs should join the Mainland Study Tour organised by EDB and complete all the arranged training activities in order to meet the training requirements.

Some NJTs will enrol in the postgraduate diploma in education or other master’s degree programmes during the first few years of their service. Could these programmes be counted as the Programme?

EDB has been encouraging NJTs to enrol on suitable programmes/ activities according to their individual professional and school development needs. All structured learning provided by EDB, teacher education universities, school-sponsoring bodies (SSB) or schools can be counted as elective training programmes. Hence, the postgraduate diploma in education or other master’s degree programmes that NJTs have attended in their first three years could be counted as elective training.

In general, schools provide induction/ support programmes for NJTs. Could these school-based professional development programmes be counted as the core training of EDB? In addition, are all courses on the Training Calendar System (TCS) regarded as elective training programmes?

In general, school-based induction/ support programmes for NJTs are mainly developed based on schools’ development needs, while the core training provided by EDB aims to assist NJTs in understanding their professional roles, demonstrating professional values and conduct, and acquiring the latest developments in education policies and practices. As the content of the core training is different from that of the school-based induction/ support programmes, NJTs must complete the core training offered by EDB. Moreover, SSB/ school-based induction programmes for NJTs can be counted as elective training.

The elective training programmes mainly include professional development programmes/ activities related to Key Learning Areas or subjects and fostering students’ whole-person development. Generally speaking, most of the courses posted on TCS are regarded as elective training programmes. To facilitate teachers’ enrolment in relevant programmes and assist NJTs in identifying the core and elective training programmes/ activities, course organisers provide programme/ activity details with clear indication (please see below).

On TCS, only the courses marked as “New Teachers (Core)” or “New Teachers (Elective)” can be counted towards the core or elective training hours for NJTs respectively. Other courses (including those only marked as “All Teachers (Core)”) cannot be counted towards the training hours of NJTs.

Could the school-based professional development activities, such as collaborative lesson planning, peer lesson observation and panel meetings in schools, be counted as elective training?

The elective training for NJTs must be structured learning, including local/ non-local education conferences, seminars, thematic lectures, workshops, study tours within or outside Hong Kong and courses related to teaching qualifications. Other modes of CPD activities, such as collaborative lesson planning and peer lesson observation, are not regarded as elective training. These hours may be counted as training other than the core (30 hours) and elective (60 hours) training when achieving the goal of undertaking 150 hours of CPD activities every three years.

B. Target Participants

Who are the target participants of the Programme for NJTs?

The Programme is targeted at full-time teachers appointed to teach in publicly-funded schools (including government schools, aided schools, caput schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme) for the first time on or after 1 September 2020, including regular teachers, contract teachers, monthly-paid temporary teachers (excluding daily-rated supply teachers) and Native-speaking English Teachers (NETs). Teachers who had taught in private schools and transferred to publicly-funded schools as full-time teachers on or after 1 September 2020, regardless of their teaching experience, must also complete the Programme within the first three years of the transfer as required. The relevant appointment records on EDB e-Services Portal should prevail.

Do teachers newly appointed under the “NET Scheme” and non-Chinese speaking teachers need to complete the training? If so, are there relevant courses that suit their needs?

Both full-time newly appointed teachers under the “NET Scheme” and non-Chinese speaking teachers meeting the criteria stated in B1 are required to complete the training. All the core training programmes provided by EDB, including Workshop on Teachers’ Professional Identity, T-standard⁺ Online Course, Mainland Study Tour for Newly-joined Teachers and Training Programme on the Constitution, the Basic Law and Hong Kong National Security Education, offer English sessions for non-Chinese speaking NJTs. EDB also provides reference materials to the non-Chinese speaking NJTs who participate in the Mainland Study Tour to facilitate their application for travel documents.

EDB has uploaded the Year Calendar to the designated webpage for the Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers (https://www.edb.gov.hk/njt/en). Non-Chinese speaking NJTs can refer to the information in the Year Calendar, and apply for the English sessions of the Programmes.

How is the first appointment date defined?

The first appointment date of NJTs is the date on which the teacher is appointed as a full-time teacher for the first time in publicly-funded schools (including government schools, aided schools, caput schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme). Even if the teacher concerned later transfers to another school, or switches from a contract teacher to a regular post, his/ her first appointment date will remain unchanged. NJTs can verify their first appointment dates with their serving schools.

C. Viewing Training Progress

How can NJTs view their training progress?

NJTs can log on to EDB e-Services Portal (https://eservices.edb.gov.hk) to view their training progress. Details are as follows.

1. Select “Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers” under “Professional Ladder for Teachers”.

2. View the details of the core and elective training completed, including the end dates of the courses and the training hours. Each core training course should be taken once only. For repeated enrolment, no CPD hours will be awarded.

Why can’t I find the “Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers” page on EDB e-Services Portal?

The Programme is designed for full-time teachers who teach for the first time in publicly-funded schools (including government schools, aided schools, caput schools and schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme) on or after 1 September 2020. If you are now serving as a teaching assistant or a part-time teacher rather than a full-time teacher, or you had worked as a full-time teacher in a publicly-funded school before 1 September 2020, you are not the target participants of the Programme. As such, when you log on to EDB e-Services Portal, the “Training Programme for NJT” page will not be displayed.

How can schools view the list of NJTs and their training progress?

EDB provides e-Services Portal for teachers to save their training records. Schools can monitor the training progress of NJTs through the system, and support them in meeting the training requirements at different stages of the profession in accordance with the guidelines of EDB and their schools. In general, the training records of NJTs in completing the core and elective training are automatically included in e-Services Portal. For the programmes/ activities which are not applied through the Training Calendar System (TCS), schools should request NJTs to log on to e-Services Portal to input the training data by themselves upon completion of the programmes for schools’ verification.

Schools can log on to e-Services Portal (https://eservices.edb.gov.hk) to closely monitor the progress of NJTs in completing the core training programmes, remind them to review their training progress regularly and complete the programmes as required. Details are as follows.

1. Select “Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers” under “Professional Ladder for Teachers”.

2. View the list of NJTs, their “First Appointment Date in Public Sector or DSS School” and “Completed Hours of Training Programme for NJTs”. If teachers are not appointed as a full-time teacher to teach in public sector schools or schools under the Direct Subsidy Scheme for the first time in the 2020/21 school year or later, they will not be included in the list.

3. Tick the box(es) of individual teacher(s) and click “Search” to view their training details, including the course names and the end dates of the courses.

Why are CPD activities input on EDB e-Services Portal not counted towards CPD hours of the elective training for the Programme?

When schools or teachers input CPD activities, the option for “if the course is an Elective Training Programme for Newly-joined Teachers” should be indicated for the system to recognise the corresponding activities and accurately calculate CPD hours for the Programme.

NJTs are required to complete the training within the “first three years of service”. If I quit my job during this period, how will the training period be counted? Will I have to retake the courses when I am re-employed by publicly-funded schools?

The training period of NJTs is counted based on the accumulated number of days that teachers serve as full-time teachers (excluding daily-rated supply teachers), and the duration is 1095 days (3 years x 365 days). Therefore, if teachers leave their teaching posts during the period to pursue further study, switch to non-full-time teaching posts, or transfer to private schools, the training period will be temporarily frozen until they are re-employed by publicly-funded schools. Also, the teachers concerned only need to complete the remaining courses and need not retake the completed courses.

Schools are required to submit teachers’ training records to management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs. How should management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs use or follow up on the information?

Schools should regularly review NJTs’ participation in CPD activities and report to management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs for appropriate follow-up. If NJTs fail to meet the training requirements, management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs should continue to follow up and provide guidance for NJTs to meet the training requirements as early as possible. In addition, management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs could analysis the information on teacher training to devise school-based teachers’ professional development plans.

Can NJTs apply for extension of the training period for the core training programmes?

EDB has attached great importance to the quality of the teaching profession. Starting from the 2020/21 school year, NJTs are required to complete 30 hours of core training within the first three years of service. The relevant requirements have been clearly stated in EDB’s circulars and website. EDB has also provided sufficient places for eligible teachers to apply. In addition, EDB has reminded schools and NJTs to complete the Programme as early as practicable through issuing circulars and letters from time to time. With proper planning, teachers should be able to complete the Programmes within three years. In principle, EDB will not accept applications for extension of the training period for the core training programmes.

However, if a teacher is unable to attend the programmes due to circumstances beyond their control or special reasons (e.g. pregnancy, sickness or injuries), EDB will consider their situation on an individual basis. The NJTs concerned are required to make applications through their schools and provide supporting documents.

D. Enrolment

How can NJTs find out about the upcoming core training programmes organised by EDB?

NJTs can browse the latest course information on the Training Calendar System (https://tcs.edb.gov.hk). In addition, to facilitate NJTs’ early planning and enrolment in relevant courses, EDB has set up a dedicated webpage for Training Programme for NJTs (https://www.edb.gov.hk/njt/en). This webpage provides information on core training programmes planned for each school year, as well as updates on the latest information and related policy documents.

How can NJTs enrol in core training courses and elective training courses?

Teachers can apply for the courses through the Training Calendar System (TCS) (https://tcs.edb.gov.hk). They can click the following buttons to identify and check the relevant training courses.

In addition to the courses organised by EDB, some structured learning programmes/ activities organised by the teacher education universities, school-sponsoring bodies or schools (including local/ non-local education conferences, seminars, thematic lectures, workshops, online courses, study tours within or outside Hong Kong, as well as courses that lead to teaching qualifications) can also be counted as elective training. After completing the programmes/ activities, teachers need to input the relevant information into e-Services Portal and submit it to the school for verification. Only verified activities can be included in their own CPD activities.

E. Teachers who fail to meet the core training requirements

Why does EDB take follow-up actions against NJTs who fail to meet the core training requirements and their schools, such as issuing warning letters and advisory letters to teachers, and issuing management letters to schools?

Teachers should actively equip themselves to keep up with the times. The Guidelines on Teachers’ Professional Conduct formulated by EDB clearly stipulates the professional conduct and norms of behavior required of teachers. As stipulated in Code 8 of Chapter 3 of the Guidelines, teachers should actively participate in continuing professional development activities to enhance their professional competence and meet the training requirements at different stages of profession in accordance with the guidelines of EDB and their schools, striving to safeguard the image and dignity of the education profession.

EDB has attached great importance to the quality of the teaching profession. Starting from the 2020/21 school year, NJTs are required to complete 30 hours of core training programmes within the first three years of service. The relevant requirements have been clearly stated in EDB’s circulars and website. EDB has also provided sufficient places for eligible teachers to apply. In addition, EDB has reminded schools and NJTs to complete the Programme as early as practicable through issuing circulars and letters from time to time. With proper planning, teachers should be able to complete the Programme within three years. If teachers fail to complete the Programme within the specified timeframe as required by EDB and violate the above-mentioned code of professional conduct, EDB will follow up seriously, including reviewing the registrations of the teachers concerned from the perspective of professional conduct and taking appropriate follow-up actions against them according to the circumstances, such as issuing warning letters or advisory letters.

As employers of teachers, schools have the responsibility to monitor and ensure that teachers actively participate in training, including arranging NJTs to complete the relevant core training programmes before the end of their training periods. If NJTs fail to meet the core training requirements, EDB will request explanations from the management committees/ IMCs/ SMCs of the schools concerned and issue management letters to the schools as appropriate.

According to the records, the vast majority of teachers can meet the training requirements. EDB encourages teachers to complete the designated core training as early as possible. In addition, EDB urges schools to closely monitor the training progress of relevant teachers, make arrangements and provide assistance as appropriate.

For teachers who have failed to meet the core training requirements and received warning letters or advisory letters, can their serving schools continue to employ them?

Schools can continue to employ these teachers, and these teachers are still required to participate in the incomplete core training. EDB will continue to follow up and arrange for them to participate in designated sessions of the core training programmes so that they can complete the relevant training as early as possible. If the teachers concerned fail to complete the training as scheduled, EDB will take further follow-up actions, including considering cancellation of their teacher registrations.

If the teachers concerned change schools or re-join the teaching profession after a break in service after receiving warning letters or advisory letters, can publicly-funded schools employ them?

If the teachers concerned change schools or are employed by publicly-funded schools after a break in service, schools can only employ them on a daily-rated basis until they complete all the designated training.

Schools are required to notify the School Leadership and Professional Development Section of EDB by email (ctnjt@edb.gov.hk) within 14 calendar days upon the commencement of the teachers’ services so as to facilitate EDB’s follow-up of their training arrangements.

EDB will closely monitor the situations of the teachers concerned. If the teachers concerned fail to complete the training as scheduled, EDB will take further follow-up actions, including considering cancellation of their teacher registrations.

According to the current training requirements, if NJTs switch to be daily-rated supply teachers, their training periods will be temporarily frozen and they will not be able to enrol in the core training programme. For teachers who have not met the core training requirements and have received warning letters or advisory letters, why can they enrol in the core training programmes if their mode of employment has switched to daily-rated supply teachers? How should these teachers apply for the relevant training?

The training period of NJTs is counted based on the accumulative number of days that teachers serve as full-time teachers (excluding daily-rated supply teachers), and the duration is 1095 days (3 years x 365 days). Therefore, if teachers leave their teaching posts, switch to non-full-time teaching posts, or transfer to private schools during this period, the training period will be temporarily frozen until they are re-employed by publicly-funded schools when the training periods will continue to be counted.

For teachers who have received warning letters or advisory letters due to their failure to meet the core training requirements, they have failed to enhance their professional competence and uphold the professional image and dignity of the teaching profession by meeting EDB’s training requirements as scheduled. They have violated the codes of professional conduct. If they change schools or are re-employed by publicly-funded schools after a break in service, schools are required to employ them on a daily-rated basis. This situation is different from that of NJTs who choose to become daily-rated supply teachers before the end of their training periods. To ensure that NJTs have received designated core training and to effectively utilise resources, EDB will follow up on the training progress of those teachers who have received warning letters or advisory letters, and issue letters to require them to attend designated training sessions.

Upon teachers’ attainment of the core training requirements, can schools switch the teachers to other employment terms (including regular, contract and monthly-paid temporary teachers, etc.) immediately?

Schools can employ teachers under any terms upon the teachers’ completion of the core training. However, in all circumstances, schools must adhere to the Education Ordinance, the Education Regulations and the Codes of Aid, and uphold the principles of meritocracy, natural justice, equal opportunity and fairness in handling all appointment, personnel, and staff-related matters. When hiring teachers, schools should consider various factors to determine applicants’ suitability for the position, including evaluating their integrity, teaching ability, work attitude and professionalism.

If a school wishes to convert a daily-rated supply teacher to a monthly-paid temporary teacher, the days worked by the teacher before completing the required core training cannot be counted towards the days paid on a monthly salary basis. For details about employment matters, please refer to Paragraph 7.2 of Chapter 7 of the School Administration Guide.

What follow-up actions will EDB take if a teacher who has received a warning letter or advisory letter for not meeting the training requirements refuses to enrol in the designated training programmes?

As stipulated in Code 8 of Chapter 3 of The Guidelines on Teachers’ Professional Conduct, teachers should actively participate in continuing professional development activities to enhance their professional competence and meet the training requirements at different stages of profession in accordance with the guidelines of EDB and their schools, striving to protect the image and dignity of the education profession. If the teachers receiving the warning letters or advisory letters fail to complete the training as required, the Bureau will take further follow-up actions including considering cancellation of their teacher registrations.

What is the consequence for the schools which have employed teachers receiving warning letters or advisory letters for not completing core training, but do not pay the teachers on a daily-rated basis nor inform EDB to follow up with their training arrangements?

If a teacher transfers to another school or is re-employed by a publicly-funded school after a break in service, the school can only hire them on a daily-rated basis. If the school does not comply with this requirement, it must bear the teacher’s salaries itself. EDB will also take follow-up actions and require the school to refund any overpaid salaries.

As an employer, the school has the responsibility to thoroughly understand the personal background of applicants during recruitment, including whether they have completed the required training. With the applicant’s consent, the school should apply to EDB for the release of the applicant’s teacher registration information to ensure that the candidate is a fit and proper person for appointment. If the teacher’s registration information reveals that the teacher has received a reprimand letter/ warning letter/ advisory letter, the school should enquire about the details and request proof, and carefully consider whether the teacher is an appropriate candidate. Whether the applicant is employed or not, the IMCs/ SMCs should discuss the decision and record the deliberations. Please refer to EDBC No. 14/2023 for more details.

F. Others

Do NJTs need to meet the “soft target” of undertaking no less than 150 hours of CPD activities in each three-year cycle?

With the prevailing CPD policy for teachers remaining unchanged, NJTs should also undertake no less than 150 hours of CPD activities in each three-year cycle, including 30 hours of core training for NJTs and 60 hours of elective training.

Some schools have reported the need to hire supply teachers due to teachers’ participation in professional training and exchange programmes in the Mainland. Will the EDB increase the government grant to meet the training needs of teachers?

EDB provides the Teacher Relief Grant in a block grant mode to aided schools with an IMC, which aims to enhance the flexibility of resource utilisation and streamline the administrative procedures for hiring supply teachers. The Teacher Relief Grant includes a recurrent cash grant for hiring supply teachers, and with prior approval from the IMC, the majority of teachers and parents, schools can also choose to freeze up to 10% of the approved teaching staff establishment to apply for an additional non-recurrent cash grant, in order to appoint temporary supply teachers or teaching-related staff, purchase education-related services, or hire other support staff to meet the school-based development and needs.

EDB understands that the demand for supply teachers varies each year. Therefore, we allow schools to retain an accumulated surplus of the Teacher Relief Grant up to three times of the annual allocation in the year. This enables schools to flexibly allocate resources for hiring supply teachers across school years. If the Teacher Relief Grant is insufficient, schools can also use the surplus from the Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant to meet the shortfall.