Pedagogy

This study examined the new Pre-Primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) on how it impacts and enriches to promote more of the teachers professional development. This chapter provides the graphical presentation and a preliminary discussion of the results.

Perceptions and Reactions of the Teachers  Principals to Pre-Primary Education Voucher Scheme
The various perceptions and reactions of the principals and teachers to the Pre-Primary Education Voucher Scheme by way of the questions in the Survey Questionnaire are presented by school classification Non-Profit Making Kindergartens (NPMKs) and Private Independent Kindergartens (PIKs).

Non-Profit Making Kindergartens Principals
Of the 17 yes-no questions in set A Questionnaire, the 2 principals in 2 different NPMKs made the same responses in 12 questions 10 answers in the affirmative and 2 in the negative. They both responded in the affirmative to the following 8 questions Do you believe that you understand the requirements of the voucher scheme clearly Do you believe that the practice of the voucher scheme will bring about changes on your children Are you against the absence of pay scale Are you against the limits on admission fee Are you against subsidizing only non-profit-making kindergartens in the long run Do you believe that kindergartens should maintain financial accountability Do you believe that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education Do you believe that the voucher scheme is important to the early childhood education in Hong Kong in the long run Will the practice of the voucher scheme force part of the private independent kindergartens to change into non-profit-making kindergartens or drive them out of business and Do you hope that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future

In addition, the 2 principals similarly responded in the negative to 2 of the questions that asked, Do you believe that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme and Do you hope Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future

On the other hand, they differed in their yes-no responses to the following questions Do you believe that the impacts brought about by the voucher scheme on your childrens current school are positive Do you believe that the government and education parties have provided adequate resources Can the voucher scheme effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens and After the practice of the voucher scheme, do you have more confidence in the operation of the kindergartens

On the scale question that required a figure for an answer, If 100 marks are the full mark, how many marks will you give to the current voucher scheme one principal gave 60 and the other gave 50 or an average of 55.00.

Non-Profit Making Kindergartens Teachers
With regard to the teachers in the NPMKs, the questions generated answers as presented. On the question Do you believe that you understand the requirements of the voucher scheme clearly 4 said yes while 2 said no. When asked Do you believe that the practice of the voucher scheme will bring about changes on your children 4 said yes while 2 said no. To the question Do you believe that the impacts brought about by the voucher scheme on your childrens current school are positive 3 said yes while 3 said no. Do you believe that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme 4 said yes while 2 said no. Do you believe that the government and education parties have provided adequate resources 2 said yes while 4 said no. Are you against the absence of pay scale 4 said yes while 2 said no. Are you against the limits on admission fee  2 said yes 4 said no. Are you against subsidizing only non-profit-making kindergartens in the long run 4 said yes while 2 said no. Do you believe that kindergartens should maintain financial accountability 4 said yes and 2 said no. Do you believe that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education 6 said yes and none of them said no. Do you believe that the voucher scheme is a fair policy 3 said yes while 3 said no. Do you believe that the voucher scheme is important to the early childhood education in Hong Kong in the long run 2 said yes while 4 said no. Can the voucher scheme effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens 3 said yes while 3 said no. Will the practice of the voucher scheme force part of the private independent kindergartens to change into non-profit-making kindergartens or drive them out of business 2 said yes while 4 said no. After the practice of the voucher scheme, will you have more confidence in the operation of kindergartens 2 said yes while 4 said no. Do you hope that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future 5 said yes while 1 said no.
On the scale question that required a figure for an answer, If 100 marks are the full mark, how many marks will you give to the current voucher scheme the 6 teachers gave their marks as 30, 40, 50, 70, 70, and 80 or an average of 56.66.

Private Independent Kindergartens Principals
Of the 17 yes  no questions in set A Questionnaire, 2 principals in 2 different PIKs made the same responses in 8 questions 3 answered in the affirmative and 5 in the negative. They both responded in the affirmative to the following 8 questions Do you believe that kindergartens should maintain financial accountability Do you believe that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education and Can the voucher scheme effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens In addition, the 2 principals similarly responded in the negative to 5 of the questions that asked Do you believe that the impacts brought about by the voucher scheme on your childrens current school are positive Do you believe that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme Do you believe that the government and education parties have provided adequate resources Do you believe that the voucher scheme is a fair policy and After the practice of the voucher scheme, do you have more confidence in the operation of kindergartens

On the other hand, they differed on their yes-no answers on the following 8 questions Do you believe that you understand the requirements of the voucher scheme clearly Do you believe that the practice of the voucher scheme will bring about changes on your children Are you against the absence of pay scale Are you against the limits on admission fee Are you against subsidizing only non-profit-making kindergartens in the long run Do you believe that the voucher scheme is important to the early childhood education in Hong Kong in the long run Will the practice of the voucher scheme force part of the private independent kindergartens to change into non-profit-making kindergartens or drive them out of business and Do you hope that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future

On the scale question that required a figure for an answer, If 100 marks are the full mark, how many marks will you give to the current voucher scheme one principal gave 70 and the other gave a zero or an average of 35.00.

Private Independent Kindergartens Teachers
With regard to the teachers in the PIKs, the questions generated answers as presented. On the question Do you believe that you understand the requirements of the voucher scheme clearly 2 said yes while 4 said no. Do you believe that the practice of the voucher scheme will bring about changes on your children 4 said yes while 2 said no. Do you believe that the impacts brought about by the voucher scheme on your childrens current school are positive 2 said yes while 4 said no. Do you believe that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme 1 said yes while 5 said no. Do you believe that the government and education parties have provided adequate resources 2 said yes while 4 said no. Are you against the absence of pay scale 5 said yes while 1 said no. Are you against the limits on admission fee  4 said yes while 2 said no. Are you against subsidizing only non-profit-making kindergartens in the long run 5 said yes while 1 said no. Do you believe that kindergartens should maintain financial accountability 6 said yes and none of them said no. Do you believe that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education all 6 teachers said yes. Do you believe that the voucher scheme is a fair policy 2 said yes while 4 said no. Do you believe that the voucher scheme is important to the early childhood education in Hong Kong in the long run 2 said yes while 4 said no. Can the voucher scheme effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens 3 said yes while 3 said no. Will the practice of the voucher scheme force part of the private independent kindergartens to change into non-profit-making kindergartens or drive them out of business 2 said yes while 4 said no. After the practice of the voucher scheme, will you have more confidence in the operation of kindergartens 2 said yes while 4 said no. Do you hope that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future all 6 teachers said yes.

On the scale question that required a figure for an answer, If 100 marks are the full mark, how many marks will you give to the current voucher scheme the 6 teachers gave their marks as 50, 50, 60, 65, 70, 80 or an average of 62.50.

As the findings indicated, a hundred percent or all of the respondents, principals and teachers alike in both NPMKs and PIKs believed that kindergarten should be supervised to ensure the standard of education. All 4 principals believed that kindergartens should maintain financial accountability and that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education. Moreover, all 4 principals did not believe that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme and that the voucher scheme is a fair policy.

In consideration of all 12 teachers in both NPMKs and PIKs, the results showed that the respondents had the following standpoints with reference to the voucher scheme. Altogether, all the teachers in both types of school believed that kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education. There are more teachers in the NPMKs and few teachers in the PIKs who believed they understood the requirements of the voucher scheme clearly. There are many teachers in both NPMKs and PIKs who believed that the practice of the voucher scheme will bring about changes on the children, were against the absence of pay scale, and subsidizing only non-profit making kindergartens in the long run. There are more teachers in the NPMKs and few teachers in the PIKs who believed that the impacts brought about by the voucher scheme on the childrens current school are positive and that the school can easily adapt to the changes brought about by the voucher scheme. There are very few teachers both in the NPMKs and PIKs who believed that the government and education parties have provided adequate resources because majority teachers in both types of school did not believe so. Few teachers in the NPMKs and more teachers in the PIKs were against the limits on admission fee. Many teachers in the NPMKs and all teachers in the PIKs believed that kindergartens should maintain financial stability. Half of the teachers in NPMKs and few among the teachers in the PIKs believed that the voucher scheme is a fair policy. Few teachers in both types of school believed that the voucher scheme is important to the early childhood education in Hong Kong in the long run. Half of the teachers in both types of school believe that the voucher scheme can effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens. Few teachers in both types of school believe that the voucher scheme will force part of the PIKs to change into NPMKs or drive them out of business and that after the practice of the voucher scheme they will have more confidence in the operation of the kindergartens. Many of the teachers in the NPMKs and all the teachers in the PIKs hope that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future.

Based on these findings, it was implied that all the teachers and the principals who are the respondents of the study welcome the Pre-Primary Education Voucher Scheme otherwise referred to as the voucher scheme or simply the new scheme as the governments concrete step to the attainment of standard pre-school education achievable through close government supervision. This optimism is further supported by the indicated familiarity or understanding of the scheme as a policy that will boost the teaching quality of kindergartens and with the hope that Hong Kong will have an effective full early childhood education in the future following the implementation of the scheme.

In contrast to the optimism of the majority respondents, only few of the respondents insisted their confidence on the positive impact of the new scheme on the young children. Few respondents would like to believe that the schools can adapt to the changes resulting from the new scheme and that the new scheme is really important in the long run. The greater fear of the minority lies in the possible closing of business of kindergartens that are profit-makers should they be forced to join the non-profit-makers kind of kindergartens. Still few believed that the new scheme is fair.

On the overall, the optimists pinned hope on the voucher scheme as one that will highly improve early childhood education in Hong Kong, far outweighed the pessimism of the few respondents as indicated by the majority positive responses that they hope Hong Kong can practice full early education in the future, that the voucher scheme will bring about changes in the children, and can effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens. There are also doubts from the minority if the new scheme is really a fair policy, and worse, if the government can after all provide the necessary resources to keep the new scheme going.

The finding indicated in the numerical answers was close to consistency that there were more respondents who believed in the many good expected outcomes from the new scheme. The mean indicated that on the overall, a little over the midpoint (50) of the scale, from zero to 100, 56.25 or rounded off to the nearest tenth is 60, the voucher scheme is appreciated rather than not. Quite similar, the median indicated that about half of the respondents were below the middle score of 50 similarly half of the respondents were above the middle score of 50. Using logical judgment from the figures, this finding indicated that the scheme is almost equally appreciated and not appreciated based on the number of respondents. However, still based on the figures, obviously there are more of those who did appreciate the new scheme over those who did not.

More Views of the Principals and Teachers on the PEVS
More of the views of the teachers and principals on Pre-Primary Education Voucher Scheme gave way to the further elaboration of the preceding yes-no questions. What influences do you think the voucher scheme will bring to the local early childhood education industry To the first sub question that required either a yes or no response that the voucher scheme will improve the quality of teaching and teachers and that they dont know, 2 of the principals in the NPMKs and 1 from the PIKs replied in the affirmative while the other principal in the PIKs replied in the negative. To the sub question that the ultimate goal of free early childhood education would be achieved, only 1 principal in the NPMKs said yes while the other principal in the NPMKs and both principals from the PIKs answered no.

Many teachers from the NPMKs and half of the teachers in the PIKs answered yes to the sub question that the voucher scheme will improve the quality of teaching and teachers. All teachers in the NPMKs and many teachers in the PIKs answered no, they dont know. Half of the teachers in the NPMKs and many teachers in the PIKs answered no to the sub question that the ultimate goal of free early childhood education would be achieved.

Sponsorship of Principals and Teachers under PEVS
The following is a presentation of the responses of the respondents in four open-ended questions for the principals and teachers.

Principals
To the question Will you get sponsored under the PEVS to further your professional training in ECE Why the 2 principals in the NPMKs indicated they have taken the course being sponsored by PEVS. The 6 teachers in the NPMKs except one indicated that they will all be sponsored for the reason that their schools (being NPMKs) are under the PEVS. The teacher who answered no reasoned out that the voucher scheme is giving priority to Certificate of Education and not to the degree holders implying that she was a degree holder at the time of the interview.

One of the principals in the PIKs mentioned that because their school is a private one, they cannot get any sponsor for any professional training courses. The other principal mentioned that she has no need for it because she is not staying in local school. Two of the 6 teachers in the PIKs shared the same view with the first principal i.e. that their school is not under the school voucher scheme and therefore they will not get sponsored under the PEVS. One of them said that she has a sponsor because she can get one from the government. Another teacher said she has a sponsor. One more teacher said she can get a sponsor but she did not apply. The sixth teacher thinks about getting a sponsor but she does not know how to go about it.

Professional Training in ECE under the PEVS Sponsorship
Will you further your professional training in ECE because of the PEVS sponsor Why was the question where both principals in the NPMKs showed interest to upgrade them professionally especially if they can be sponsored in other courses aside from what they have completed. All 6 teachers in the NPMKs except one were all willing to further training in ECE primarily because there is a sponsor and there is no expense on their part. The teacher who answered no responded as such because she has completed a degree already.

One of the principals in the PIKs stated she will further her because the government is using its resources to support teachers training. The other principal was consistent stating that she is not staying in a local school and thus, finds the training not relevant to him. Three of the 6 teachers in the PIKs said they will further their professional training in ECE because of PEVS considering that the training is comparatively cheap. The other three who similarly said yes to the training gave one of the following reasons she has a sponsor, depends on the availability of time, and to be qualified in the field.

Preferred Professional Training in ECE
To the question Which professional training program in ECE in Hong Kong are you interested to enroll Why both principals who insinuated having finished Certificate of Education (CE) or Qualified Kindergarten Teacher (QKT) are waiting for further information so that they will decide which course they can pursue under PEVS. Of the 6 teachers, 3 are more interested in taking up master or postgraduate degrees 3 are interested in Bachelors degrees in ECE and one is already progressively studying taking up ECE. Only one of the teachers gave a reason to pursue training which is precisely that a higher education means a higher salary.

One of the 2 principals in the PIKs indicated favoring a master degree while the other is not interested in any because of a plan to move to an international school where ECE will not be necessary. One of the teachers in the PIKs is already taking up Bachelor of ECE 2 others want to take up Bachelors degree and another wanted CE because she has not finished the course yet. The rest of the teachers (3 of them) wanted to pursue a master degree.

Beyond the Professional Training
To the question Will you continue in the field of ECE in Hong Kong after you achieve the above professional training Why the two principals had differing views. One of them responded that he does not really want to continue in the field because of the disproportionate high workload and low salary. Given the opportunity in other industries, this principal would change employment. However, the other principal wanted to stay in the field of ECE because this is where he attained his profession. All the 6 teachers pointed out their desire to stay in ECE even after the professional training. Four of them categorically stated their aspiration to contribute the knowledge and education they gained from the training. The rest of the teachers said that they will remain in ECE because with high qualification comes higher salary and that their training will not be useful in other industries.

One of the principals in the PIKs gave a positive response but has a preference for a different nature such as becoming a tutor on ECE in a university or college or else, work at the Education Department. The second principals response was if he went to finish the course, then she would continue in the field of ECE. All the 6 teachers in the PIKs were positive to continue in the field of ECE although two of them had misgivings on the low salary, older age, and the uncertainty whether to continue in the same school or not. Other teachers were willing to stay in the field of ECE because of their status, higher qualification, and the satisfaction they derive out of their job.

Based on the findings, it was implied that there were more teachers and principals who will get sponsorship for a professional training under the PEVS generally because it is free-of-charge and comparatively cheap. The few teachers and principals who answered they will not be able to get sponsorship alludes to their respective school affiliations being not under the PEVS or else because they have undertaken the training or an equivalent training.

Based on the findings, the biggest number of teachers and principals wanted to pursue training in ECE based on one or a combination of the following reasons the teacher or principal has found a sponsor and that the government is spending for the training, the training is cheap, the training will enhance their qualifications, and that the training is necessary to work or stay on the job. The very few who said they will not continue with the training reasoned out that the particular training has already been undertaken or it does not become relevant to one who will leave childhood education job.

Majority of the respondents implied pursuing professional training program in ECE in Hong Kong and that they were particularly interested to enroll in ECE primarily because it is free as sponsored by PEVS. It appeared that one of the motivating factors in pursuing training by the respondents is the high salary that would necessarily come with higher qualification. Some of the respondents insinuated to rise to a higher position such as to become a principal later on. It also surfaced that training in ECE is not enough. There is a need to pursue higher education such as a masters degree in education or child psychology.

The few respondents who gave their options in the ECE professional training of their interest, one of them has completed ECE and thus, becomes unnecessary in her case. Another respondent was already done with ECE and a masters degree. A respondent was pursuing already a bachelors degree which means having completed already the ECE course another was undecided which course to take still another was not interested to pursue training while insinuating a plan to move to an international school.

Based on the findings, majority of the respondents expressed categorically their intention to stay in the field after they shall have secured and completed the training in ECE. Some of them expressed desire to serve with their earnedenhanced knowledge in pre-school education as their own contribution in the field. There was an implied renewal of impetus from the respondents to come back to work in pre-school education brought about by the training in ECE both feeling more qualified and happy. It cannot also be discounted that there were teachers and principals who did not feel gratified by the low salary and thus, the insinuation to find say a tutorial job in ECE in the university or college or at the education department of Hong Kong.
The same sentiment was espoused by few respondents to find other jobs on account of low salary that they alleged is not proportionate to the workload.

In Depth Interview with a Principal in an NPMK
The respondent in an in depth interview is a principal working in a non-profit making kindergarten. The interview with him revealed much information about the voucher scheme from his own perception. The principal conveyed his appreciation of the voucher scheme particularly on the area of teacher training in ECE. The interviewee stated his own understanding of the new scheme as one that aims
First, to modify the quality of kindergarten and promote kindergarten teacher qualification. Second, the school voucher is for the parents on sponsor paying the kindergarten school fees for their children.
The following were drawn from the respondents responses.

Overall, the Education Bureau was doing well in the professional development of teachers both in the NPMKs or PIKs in terms of qualification and skills upgrading as well as professionalization. However, this resulting upgrading or professionalization was not equated with an improved personal quality of the teachers. The respondent qualified his statement on the quality of professional development program for teachers that should
include the personal development, the quality of the teachers self development. As we are aware, the professional development nowadays is just focused to earn a higher qualification. People just care about the academic sides the teachers do get higher qualification or more certificates diploma, etc.  But I believe that the quality of the personal development and the mission of being a teacher are more important.

The interviewee continued to emphasize that teacher training that is constituted by learning the theories must see to the application of those theories inside the classroom. It is more important that teachers handle real life situation with young children. This suggested a concern for the outcome of the training under the sponsorship of the new scheme. Teachers enrich their skills and thus, emerge as more qualified teachers. However, the issue in the training is not just to acquire the skills or make the teachers academically qualified. More importantly, the attitude and the moral outlook in kindergarten education must be addressed so as to inculcate commitment in the teaching profession of young children. To this end, the respondent recommended that some workshops or trainings must be conducted to inculcate in the teachers the right attitude by understanding the underlying philosophy and mission of children education.

This principal did not believe that a teacher who has completed a high level training (i. e. Certificate of Education) meant that she can teach better than the one having only a (Qualified Kindergarten Training) QKT. Again, the qualities of a good teacher are deemed more important than just a qualification gained from training. This respondent related an experience that he had with a teacher who got a certificate of education and was pursuing a bachelors degree in early childhood education at that time she was hired. Accordingly, upon this principals evaluation, the teacher was found wanting in practice. The principal continued saying that a teacher may keep on going up the ladder for higher education but it is not a guarantee of a good teacher in this field. An experienced classroom teacher, from the point of view of this principal, is far better than one who has just been trained in C.E. but without experience.

In this situation also lies the difference between a pre-service and in-service training. The teacher who had been from a pre-service training may be stuffed with theories but not equally effective in the implementation of the theories in the classroom. On the other hand, the teacher who went into an in-service training is far better than the former upon his or her return in the classroom, he or she is better prepared with his or her acquired training. Besides, teachers who are products of pre-service trainings are new in the service unlike teachers who are already in the service and still attend in-service trainings. Training and belief in the teaching profession matter most in the field of childhood education.

The interviewee also emphasize that evaluation must be carried out by the government not only to the kindergartens but to the teachers as well. Teachers evaluation must not be a task left to the schools (who could be subjective) the government should set its own norm of evaluation of teachers for objectivity reasons. The new scheme was also believed to benefit the teachers in the three years for the training that they will gain and which will ultimately redound to the upgrading of their qualifications while kept abreast of the latest strategies in early childhood education.

This principal prior to the implementation of the policy on the voucher scheme completed the required course, namely, a Certificate Course for Kindergarten Principal. This is an evidence of hisher sympathetic attachment to children education. It was implied that it was her personal initiative to pursue higher education to become more skillful and knowledgeable in pre-school education. She said,

Before it was compulsory to take the Certificate Course for Kindergarten Principal, I had completed a similar course years ago. As I am working in this field, I need to polish myself on all areas too.

Moreover, believing in the benefits and the skills development brought about by the voucher scheme that can cascade to the improvement of early childhood education, she has sent teachers to the Hong Kong Institute of Education for teacher training.

The principal expressed some concerns about the impact of the training with regard to the teachers. She was quoted having said

Under the school voucher scheme, the government expects the school did a lot of paper work. The school needs to do self -evaluation and the Education Bureau will come for inspection, so lots of stuffs are required to be in document or record.

As a result of the demand on the teachers for working on extra paper works while performing two other functions at the same time as a classroom teacher and a trainee in ECE, some teachers end up getting sick. The school, as a consequence, gets supply teachers (which is quite an expensive option), who are not as good as the regular teachers and when this happens, parents come to the school to complain. If it were possible that the voucher money would be given to this principal, she would like to use it to hire supply teachers so as to ease the workload of the teachers who were undergoing training.

A possible outcome of the teacher training as expressed by this principal was that schools may lose good teachers who are more experienced in teaching but who lack the required qualification under the new scheme in favor of hired new teachers who just completed the teachers professional development training.

Furthermore, with pay scales not being followed by some kindergartens, many teachers leave the schools in the long run. With the pay scale, teachers expect salary increase yearly without the pay scale, they are not guaranteed a salary increase. In addition when they transfer to another kindergarten, they will begin with the usual starter salary. Without the pay scale and further compounded by increased workload, teachers are just hanging around to teach in the kindergartens while they keep their options open for prospective employment elsewhere.

It was suggested by this principal that government through the Education Bureau should apply the policies not too quick and rush. The requirements are highly taxing as they put pressure both on the teachers and the schools. As this respondent commented,
The government wants the teachers to go for professional training and at the same time, the school needs to do self evaluation and the Education Bureau comes for inspection.  Lots of paper work is needed during the time. All these come together and bring in pressure to the teachers. After all these inspection and self evaluations, the Education Bureau will put all the data on the internet and allow the public to access the data anytime. This brings in great pressure to the school.

The result was passing judgment by the parents and other stakeholders based on the available information on the website. Moreover, alluding to the gravity of the governments requirements, the principal stated that
Since the start of the school self evaluation, we all get tired doing all those work. Once we get this done, another paper work is coming.  When you get use to one format, then a new policy appears.
The recommendations of this principal with particular reference to the teachers professional development are worth noting. Aside from attaining higher educational qualifications in the teaching profession, the training should necessarily include the element of moral education perceived as beneficial to both the teachers and to the students including the lecturers and tutors in institutes or universities. The principal was quoted saying,
Also more moral education is needed as it is very important to the teachers and to the students This is even more important than just teaching teachers on teaching skills. Even the lecture or tutor in the institute or university offering the professional teachers training courses, they also need to have a clear picture on what is early childhood education.

The following was a result of a group interview with three of the respondents. The data that emerged from the group discussion elucidated information that served to supplement all the other opinions earlier presented. The discussion included the perceived understanding by the interviewees of the school voucher scheme, the raised points, comments and concerns about the scheme, and recommendations aimed as much as possible to address the issues and controversies brought about by the new scheme.

All three interviewees evidenced an ability to carry on a discussion about the voucher scheme as they understood it. The three interviewees, it must be noted, were teachers from the two types of school , Y is a teacher working in an NPMK, S and C are teachers working in PIKs. For ease of understanding with regard to the respective affiliations of the participants, Y is identified as Y (NPMK), S as S (PIK) and C as (PIK).

C (PIK) thought that the government wants to control the quality of kindergartens in Hong Kong. Her analysis stated

The government is giving the school a small amount of money, but can have a bit of control to the kindergarten, so day by day, the government can have the power to control all the kindergartens by the end. I believe thats one of the reasons having the school voucher scheme.
S (PIK) pointed out that under the scheme, parents can put their kids in non-profit making kindergarten so (they) can get the school voucher scheme sponsor. Responding to the statement, Y (NMPK) retorted that while parents are able to save money through the scheme, the parents will have fewer choices on choosing kindergarten because they can only choose from the schools that are covered by the voucher scheme. They are however in agreement that the scheme helps the teachers finish the required course.

C (PIK) asked why only the nonprofit making kindergartens can have the school voucher scheme. S (PIK) wished that every child should be supported by the government regardless of the school chosen for his or her pre-school education by remarking that,
Actually, what I mean is every child should be sponsored by the government. If the government is sponsoring the same shouldnt be just on sponsoring to non-profit making kindergarten, but should sponsor the private independent kindergarten. The child is also Hong Kong born.

The respondent obviously alludes to the idea that every child should have equal access to any kindergarten as they are all citizens of Hong Kong.

Y (NPMK) wished that pre-school education can be included in the free education in Hong Kong as it is with the primary and senior schools. On a positive note, S (PIK) said
I think that the strategy is good. It is just a matter of how the school arranges this voucher scheme to benefit the teachers.  I think this is even more important.  It is not saying the school voucher scheme can help the teachers or not, it is the matter that different schools have different policies.

The teachers came into focus in the discussion on account of their condition or plight in relation to their respective principals and schools under the new scheme. Some teachers were benefited some were not. According to Y (NPMK), for her who finished the course before the school voucher scheme policy like herself, she thinks she may not at all benefit from it. Initially, based on her brief story, while she worked with a non-profit kindergarten, the program came later after she has completed the required course using her own money. Even at a time when she was working with another non-profit kindergarten, she asked to be sent to take the Certificate Course for Kindergarten Principal to allow reimbursement under the scheme later on. But, she was refused by her school principal simply because that principal has not yet taken the course. According to her, when she proceeded to do her masters degree upon acceptance, she spent her own money for the course.

In addition, the respondents indicated that the school decides on the pay scales they are not following the government pay scales. In this case, the government pay scales do not at all serve any purpose. The salaries of the teachers are at the pleasure of the school regardless of their qualifications. As a consequence, many good teachers leave the schools in search of higher salaries elsewhere. Moreover, some teachers opt to work in PIKs because of lighter workload compared to the NPMKs.  Non-profit making government-sponsored kindergartens put great demand on paper works in compliance to the numerous documents required by the government as its own way of monitoring and keeping watch of standards.

Closely tied up with the kindergarten teachers under the voucher scheme is the pursuance of their professional development. S (PIK) raised that there are teachers who had been long in service and are not anymore willing to pursue professional development for one reason or another. S (PIK) gave some of the reasons that many teachers do not want to pursue any further study in early children education (older) age, family, the belief that the school will not fire them and that after all their salary will remain the same.

Moreover, she suggested that the school must find ways to motivate them to go on training for at least two benefits after completion while they remain in their schools, they shall have gained improvement and if they should move out of the school, they have qualifications they can bring to a new job. Another suggestion she made was to plan individually for teacher professional development. She strongly suggested that while the plans are made by the school board of directors, the teachers must be involved in the planning to identify and address their specific needs.

The school poses as a conceivable problem to the teachers while it has its own problems in relation to the new scheme. They became highly bureaucratic through the board of directors andor the principals who have the power to authorize or not a teacher to go to training. Sometimes, the favored ones are those who are authorized to go on training. S (PIK) shared supporting the practice of favoritism that

We are all paying to study in another institute because if we wait for the school to approve us to go for the training, that will take ages.  It is good to have school voucher scheme, but how to help the teachers directly on teachers professional development or helping the school on teachers training that needs to be considered.
The schools are confronted with various problems of returning teachers after completing professional development training or degree. A conceivable reason for the school administrations reluctance to send teachers on training, Y (NPMK) gathered from a principal that if the teacher undergoes the training, after graduation, the school must raise his or her salary as a result. There are instances where teachers leave the school after completing a course. How to keep them in the school is a problem of management and management skills. On the other hand, when new teachers are hired, they lack the experience and training that the older teachers have. The related story by Y (NPMK) is a case in point. Some 80 percent of the teaching force in a school left altogether after on the third year after they were all trained in a practicum in Taiwan. Other new teachers ostensibly assume themselves to become principals right away after completing their course.

Teachers prefer to work in non-profit making kindergartens and not in for-profit kindergartens, because the former is their gateway to be sponsored for teacher training courses. This leaves the private independent kindergarten teachers uncertain to benefit from any teacher training which further result into the difficulty of hiring teachers.

The interviewees have some observations in the point of view of the government. Y (NPMK) believed that government undermined kindergarten teachers saying that

It is because to the government, they have a concept that kindergarten teachers are still only having a Form 5 level or having a QKT, they didnt realize lots of teachers had a much higher qualification already.
It is perceived by the interviewees that the scheme and the government for that matter are only interested in raising the qualifications of the teachers.

There are respondents who signified their intention in pursuing professional development not to serve the pre-school industry but to work elsewhere with wider options. S (PIK), for one stated, I want to complete a Ph D so that I can work in another industry.

The speedy change of policies by the government is something that the schools and teachers can hardly cope with aside from the absence of at least consultation with the teachers who are implementers of any new strategy in the field. The requirements are perceived to be many and before the schools get used to using the prescribed forms, new requirements pour in either outdating the former or adding to what already are required.

It was deduced from the interviewees that they wished that free education in Hong Kong be expanded to include kindergarten and that teachers can also enjoy the same pay scales as the primary and high school teachers. Primary and high school teachers salaries scales remained the same even if they transferred to another school. Among the kindergarten teachers, a newcomer will always start with the starters salary. It was suggested as a good idea to set the starting salary for teachers in kindergarten and scaled to provide room for salary increases to be based on some definite criteria.

Teachers professional development is prized but lacked the heart and commitment when it comes to the new pre-service trained teachers. They are found to be unlike those teachers who served long years in teaching but who still desire to be trained. Professional training, it was suggested by Y (NPMK), should include the important aspects of commitment and an internalized appreciation of and passion for teaching children in kindergarten. The training should also consider not limiting it to a degree level but should necessarily include pursuing graduate program such as a masters degree. It is believed that the concept of the new scheme is good but may not meet its objectives considering these teachers development circumstances.

Summary
This chapter presented the results of the survey questionnaires and the interviews conducted to find the answers to the research questions in this study. The information strengthened and revealed important insights  problems and prospects - of the situation of kindergarten education in Hong Kong under the PEVS. A summary of the study and the interpretation of the results will be discussed in the next chapter as well as implications and recommendations for action and future research.

This chapter presents the stated problems of the study and the answers that were derived from the responses of the principals and teachers who were participants to the study. Included as well are recommendations for action and suggestions for future research.

The Major Differences between Schools That Have and Schools That Do Not Have School Voucher

Interestingly, the divide between the two types of school  NPMKs and PIKs  was not too evident in the views of the principals and teachers who were the participants in the study in equal numbers. There were more convergent views rather than the divergent views on the questions that were asked of them.

All of the participants coming both from NPMKs and PIKs were unanimous in saying that the kindergartens should be supervised to ensure the standard of education. This alludes to the idea that it is through the close supervision by the government that the program is more likely to succeed. Many of them believed that the voucher scheme is not a fair policy. They are also positive that the voucher scheme can effectively increase the teaching quality of kindergartens. Altogether, they believed that Hong Kong can practice full early childhood education in the future. This reaction is prompted by the ongoing increased teacher training.

The averages of the marks that they have given to the scheme at 55.00, 56.66, 35, and 62.50 resulted in an overall average of 52.25. This indicated that their view is somewhere in the middle which further showed that the participants highly appreciate the changes that the voucher scheme brought among other things. This is moreover indicative of an increasing understanding of the voucher scheme in the long run. A logical deduction from the numerical result showed that there are in fact more participants who appreciated the new scheme over those who did not. A few among them insinuated cynicism of the voucher scheme particularly on the concern if government can after all provide the necessary resources to keep the voucher scheme going.
The Positive and Negative Impact of the School Voucher Scheme to the Teachers Professional

Development
It is still held that NPMKs perceive more positive aspects of the voucher scheme compared to the PIKs. One thing is certain though about the voucher scheme it will upgrade and professionalize the teachers in the kindergartens. The Education Bureau is doing its own share of the responsibility in seeing to the professional development of the teachers in the NPMKs and PIKs. The capabilities of the teachers are further reinforced through the training. However, there are also expressed misgivings about teacher training despite the acquisition of a degree or higher qualification. While there are teachers who are academically trained, they lack the commitment, the passion, and the heart for teaching young children.

Graduates of the teacher training are perceived to display superiority over the other teachers to the extent that those who stayed and served so well for long years were being undermined. This is a consequence of a higher degree that is expected to be matched by a higher salary scale.

There are teachers who prefer to work in NMPKs to be sponsored for the teacher training courses. As a result, PIKs find difficulty in replacing transferring teachers. This leaves the PIKs in wonder if they should ever benefit from the voucher scheme. On the other hand, there are teachers in the NPMKs who do not have the motivation to apply for sponsorship for the training given the idea that their salaries will not be raised even after acquiring a degree or completing the training.

There is apprehension that there will be an influx of teachers who just completed the teachers professional development training. This poses as a threat to the older ones who had been in the kindergartens for so long and equipped with experience. There is possibility that those who are more experienced but who lack the required qualification under the voucher scheme may be replaced by the qualified ones by virtue of the teachers professional development training.

The concern for the quick and rush compliance to the policies of the Education Bureau puts pressure on the schools and teachers to cope with the self-evaluation and inspections conducted by the Bureau. The flowing in of paper works saddles the teachers who are supposed to be in the training and teaching at the same time. The new scheme makes NPMKs complain of difficulties encountered due to increased workloads and work-related stress.

PIKs teachers fall under the mercy of their school principal whether they can pursue a teacher training or not at all. There are cases where the teachers themselves proceed to take the required course at their own expense. In this aspect, it was recommended that all kindergarten teachers should be sponsored regardless of their school affiliation and without necessarily passing through the nomination or approval of their own school. After all, it was argued, the teachers professional development training is funded not by the schools but by the government.

Some of the teachers in the PIKs experience low job satisfaction and low morale on account of the low salary but overloaded curricula. For some teachers who are willing to pursue the teachers training even outside of school hours, they are not permitted by their school.
There were teachers who were indifferent to train in ECE because they believed that their long years of experience in teaching were good enough for them. Research, time and again, has concurred that training that is updating is one way to earning more knowledge and skills and thereby makes one become more effective in his or her field. Some form of motivation must be set in place to entice those who need the training to apply for it.

How to Enrich the Teachers Professional Development
There were significant propositions to enrich the teachers professional development. The quality of teacher training must necessarily include a comprehensive understanding of the philosophy underlying early childhood education. It is contended that development is not only the acquisition of pedagogical techniques or rising to some standards but more than anything, it must live up to the challenge to be able to harmoniously intertwine research-basedtested techniques and strategies with moral values, dedication and genuine commitment to the students. The ultimate beneficiary in any educational effort is the child or student thus, the need for a balance between qualification and moral values. It should deeply include the personal development of the teachers that imbibes moral values and the passion for teaching young children. The theories and strategies are necessary tools in teaching but the love for the profession and the children must be inculcated at the highest level to become effective teachers in the kindergartens.

The teachers professional development training should include graduate program at least to the masters degree level and not limited to a degree level only.

In addition to the Board of Directors of each school, the teachers must be involved in the overall planning for teachers professional development plan. This way, they have a stake in the plan and they can input their own needs in consideration of their interests and abilities. The plan must be flexible to make it more relevant whenever necessary. Related to the plan and training, the time needed by the teachers to cope with teaching and training must be dealt with proportionately so that no responsibility of the teachers is compromised.

There is a definite need to standardize the qualifications of kindergarten teachers just as primary and high school teachers are standardized.

Principals must also be required to take higher courses. This will not only make them academically qualified but they will better understand their teachers who are attending teacher training as well. In addition, as principals, they ought to be higher in degree if possible than their teachers.