Studies on Preschool Education Voucher in Hong Kong

This paper critically examines parents’ and service providers’ reception of the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS), which was designed to enhance the quality of early childhood education in Hong Kong. The PEVS was a universal voucher policy that was designed to harness market forces and increase direct governmental control of quality in a private education market wherein pre-academic training and competition are emphasized. This paper presents the results of a survey of 413 parents and 215 service providers. Findings indicated that despite the government’s efforts in promoting quality as ‘child-centeredness’ and the efforts of preschools in meeting the quality standards, parents remained relatively neutral about the policy's influence on preschool quality. However, all parents appreciated the financial benefits they accrued from the PEVS, and more socially-advantaged families allocated the additional disposable income on extra educational activities and programs for their children. Findings suggest the implementation of the PEVS in a fully private market might unexpectedly exacerbate inequity in educational opportunities. The enrolment size of the preschool was also found to be a determinant of respondents’ views of the PEVS. We argue the government’s idea of ‘joyful learning’ may be even harder to achieve with the current means of service governance.

The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS), launched by the government of HKSAR in 2007, has led to a lively exchange among the stakeholders of early childhood education. Against this background, a large-scale survey of stratified random sampled respondents was conducted to tap the public views of the PEVS. The results indicated that: (1) the public support for the PEVS; (2) positive impacts of PEVS were observed; (3) some respondents expressed objection to the five restrictions of the PEVS; (4) the PEVS appeared to have little effect on increasing birth rate; (5) the respondents hoped the government would provide free ECE in the long run. [Article is written in Chinese in the journal 幼兒教育(教育科學)]

Until recently, the Hong Kong government adopted a laissez‐faire policy orientation towards pre‐primary education, as reflected by insufficient regulatory measures and monetary support since the colonial period. As a result, pre‐primary education in Hong Kong became extremely expensive yet teachers were often under‐trained. The introduction of the Pre‐primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) in 2007 for non‐profit‐making kindergartens (NPMKs) finally gave pre‐primary education in Hong Kong a new impetus for building a quality culture.

Educational authorities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of China introduced an early childhood education voucher system in 2007 with two implicit goals: To turn profit kindergartens into non-profit ones and to curtail parental choice. This initiative has caused a great deal of controversy locally and internationally, so the development of the voucher theory and practice in the Chinese context has become an interesting case to study. To investigate public views in Hong Kong on how well this voucher scheme adapts to local needs and to the local context, we collected Internet posts and analysed all the views presented in both Chinese and English virtual communities. Content and statistical analyses were conducted on the search results, and it was found that (1) there is overwhelming support for the voucher system; and (2) there is a range of opposing or supporting opinions and rationales on the two implicit goals. Based on the results, this unique Hong Kong voucher scheme is judged to be a rationally localised development of the voucher theory. The sociocontextual factors that shape the policy-making process are discussed, and the implications of this policy beyond Hong Kong and the field of ECE are also addressed.

The Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS) of Hong Kong has generated considerable controversy since its first announcement due to its unconventional nature. Though previous research showed that stakeholders generally expected the policy to promote the “3As” of early childhood education (ECE) — affordability, accessibility, and accountability, and benefit non-profit-making kindergartens (NPMKs) more than private independent kindergartens (PIKs), the present multiple-case study of 8 kindergartens, conducted after 2 years of the implementation of the PEVS, found that (1) the majority of respondents did perceive positive impacts on the 3As, but they also experienced some new problems; (2) respondents’ views varied significantly across stakeholders, with the parents perceived more positive impacts than the principals and teachers; (3) the smaller kindergartens were impacted more by the policy; and (4) the respondents of those kindergartens which had been converted from PIKs perceived the effects of the PEVS slightly more favorably than their peers in traditional NPMKs. It is argued that the government should promptly and critically review the policy and thoroughly consult the sector in order to ensure the sustainability of the policy and the quality of ECE in Hong Kong.