Page 17 - Progress Report

COTAP’s

vision, mission, objectives

and strategies

COTAP has been reconstituted from the former ACTEQ since 1 June 2013, with an
expanded purview covering professional development across the continuum of the
teaching profession at different career stages, from student, novice and experienced

teachers, to aspiring, newly-appointed and accomplished school leaders. It will also
facilitate networking, sharing, interactive exchange and collaboration within the
teaching profession, and commission educational research and evaluation studies,

where necessary, to inform policy and strategy formulation, adopting an evidence-
based approach.

Since its inception, COTAP has undertaken an environmental scan of the landscape
of the professional development of teachers and principals in Hong Kong, reviewed

current policies and strategies, and identified issues of concern and priority areas for
improvement. COTAP has engaged in an extensive dialogue with key stakeholders,
including school councils, heads’ and deputy heads’ associations, school sponsoring

bodies (SSB), educational bodies, teachers’ associations, parents, KG sector and
teacher education institutions (TEIs), so as to better understand the issues and
challenges faced by the teaching profession in keeping pace with the times, with a
view to building shared vision and seeking collaboration.

To maintain a global perspective and through literature reviews, sharing and visits,
COTAP has also drawn upon, and learnt from, best practices from outside Hong
Kong, including Shanghai, Australia, California, Finland, Ontario, Singapore and the

United Kingdom.

Three Sub-committees have been set up under COTAP for more detailed studies
and focused deliberation on the areas of preparing teachers and retaining talent;
promoting and supporting CPD; and strengthening school leadership. These

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