Suggestions for Enhancing School-based Administration in Non-Tertiary Education Institutions
by Stephen Chan Teng-Fong
Published by Macao Daily on 25 March 2024, Page B08 (Reflections on Education)
月前社會文化司司長列席立法會會議，回應眾議員提出關於社文範疇施政的問題時，不少議員均對學校行政工作量日益增加，尤其針對教育基金在申請、申報、監察、結算等一系列行政程序過於繁冗的實況提出特別關注。同時，筆者在日常工作中，亦有感學校行政事務隨新型監察機制的推行變得更為繁雜，尤其程序中所衍生的相關文件與報表，相信是前線學校行政人員工作壓力的根源。但考慮到公帑使用的嚴謹性與合理性原則，行政當局進一步設立有效的監察機制是可理解的。有見及此，筆者會從校本角度討論如何既保障公帑的合理使用，又能減省學校的行政壓力。
During a recent Legislative Assembly meeting, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture addressed concerns raised by Assembly members regarding policies in the social and cultural spheres. Many members expressed worries over the escalating workload within school administrative staff members, particularly highlighting the cumbersome administrative procedures associated with the Education Fund, such as application, reporting, oversight, and settlement processes. Similarly, in my professional experience, I have noticed that school administrative tasks have become increasingly complex with the implementation of new monitoring mechanisms. The proliferation of required documents and reports stemming from these procedures is believed to be a significant source of stress for frontline administrative personnel. However, considering the stringent principles governing public fund usage, the establishment of effective monitoring mechanisms by the authorities is understandable. Nonetheless, I aim to discuss how the reasonable utilisation of public funds can be safeguarded from a school-based perspective, while alleviating administrative burdens on schools.
推動學校行政E化與無紙化 | Advancing E-Administration and Paperless Practices in Schools
整個世界已正式進入人工智能的年代，學校行政管理亦須隨着科技革新而改變。綜觀澳門校本行政的發展，基本已達至全面性的“電腦化”行政，即運用電腦協助處理校內的行政工作。但要從電腦化進一步走向E化，就要在原有基礎上有效加入資訊科技及網絡科技的雙軌應用，常言道：“工欲善其事，必先利其器。”教育行政當局二○二一／二二學年投入約四千四百萬澳門元，用作各項架構學校資訊科技基礎設施及相關計劃之上，以配合《非高等教育中長期規劃(2021——2030)》關於建立“智慧教育”的願景，其目標更多側重的是學與教及人工智能課程發展方面。但關於學校行政系統，尤其在行政作業資訊化、設施管理自動化、官校互聯無紙化的發展上，仍有很大的拓展空間。
As the world enters the era of artificial intelligence, school administrations must adapt to technological advancements. While the administration of schools in Macao has achieved comprehensive computerisation, further progression to E-administration necessitates the effective integration of information technology (IT) and network technology (NT) onto existing frameworks. As the saying goes, "an artisan must first prepare his best tools in order to accomplish his tasks." In the 2021/2022 school year, the authority that governs Education allocated approximately MOP 44 million to enhance school IT infrastructure in alignment with the vision of "Smart Education" outlined in the Medium and Long-term Planning for Non-Tertiary Education (2021-2030). However, there remains ample room for growth in the development of administrative system informatisation, facility management automation, and government-school paperless integration.
筆者建議學校在推動行政改革時，把E化管理指標體系作為改革的重要目標，從校本的組織與制度上，強化資訊科技團隊的重要性，從一般以技術支援型導向的組織走向開拓創新型，使能進一步研究把四大核心技術概念——ABCD(AI + Blockchain + CloudComputing + BigData)融入學校行政系統當中。至於實行無紙化更是組織溝通與管理的大勢所趨，現時官校間已全面透過電子系統平台進行各類文件檔案的存取、申報及批覆等程序。在確保系統穩定性的前提下，未來各類文件更應走向“少紙化”，並同步研究電子簽署代替紙筆簽署，以達至學校行政E化轉型的重要目標——降低行政成本、提升工作效率。
I propose that schools prioritise E-administration benchmarks in their reform efforts. This involves strengthening the importance of IT teams within school-based organisations and transitioning from a conventional technical support-oriented approach to an innovative one. We should explore inco-orporating core technological concepts such as ABCD (AI + Blockchain + Cloud Computing + Big Data) into school administration systems. Additionally, the move towards paperless practices aligns with the prevailing trend in organisational communication and management. Currently, inter-school communications rely heavily on electronic platforms for document access, reporting, and approval. As we strive for system stability, future endeavours should aim for reduced paper usage while exploring electronic signature adoption to achieve key E-administration objectives—reducing administrative costs and enhancing work efficiency.
增聘“行政事務協調人員” | Employment of Designated "Co-ordinators for Administrative Affairs"
澳門教育基金設有“專職人員”的資助項目，旨在減輕教師的非教學工作，並優化教師的工作條件及提高教學質量。其資助方式是按學校班級規模，給予若干個全職或兼職的資助名額，就二○二三／二四學年的教育基金章程所示，學校共可聘請五類專職人員，包括資訊科技教育人員、學校健康促進人員、活動推廣人員、閱讀推廣人員及實驗室管理人員，每一名額按其人員學歷基本資助金額分為三十四萬五千及二十四萬六千澳門元。筆者建議在原有資助方案中新增一個全職名額，並只適用於聘請“行政事務協調人員”。
The Education Fund of Macao currently offers a subsidy programme for "Specialised staff" (Pessoal especializado) to alleviate teachers' non-teaching responsibilities and enhance teaching quality. According to the regulations set for the 2023/2024 school year, schools may employ five types of designated full-time staff with varying subsidies based on their qualifications, including information and communication technology teaching staff, school health advocating staff, activity promotion staff, reading promotion staff, and laboratory managing staff, with the basic amount of subsidy per staff according to his/her qualification between MOP 345,000 and MOP 246,000. I propose the addition of a new full-time position exclusively designated for the co-ordination of administrative affairs to the existing subsidy scheme.
按筆者觀察學校的日常運作，現本澳各校負責行政事務的專任人員，一般是透過教學人員拋節或聘請職員的方式處理。前者需協調該教師的教學與非教學工作的平衡發展，但基於行政及文書工作具動態及多元性，要兩者平衝分配或有一定難度，甚至會因行政工作的重擔影響教學質量，部分教師更是“兩頭不到岸”，工作重擔更日益增大。而以職員方式出任者，基於由學校總收入減去教師總薪酬之餘下資金聘請，或會因薪酬競爭力不足而未可聘請具專業資格：如會計、行政管理或秘書學相關專業的人員出任。故此，筆者的建議可為學校配給最少一名專業，且薪酬較為貼近市場水平的人員擔任相關工作，以提升校本行政效能及其專業度，並保障行政團隊的穩定性。
From my observation, administrative tasks in Macao schools are typically shared between teaching staff (with exemption of certain number of lessons) and external hires. However, the former often needs to balance teaching and administrative duties and thus posing great challenges that can potentially impact teaching quality and exacerbate workloads. On the other hand, as constrained by budget limitations, externally hired administrative personnel may lack the requisite professional qualifications for administrative roles such as accounting, management or secretarial profession. Therefore, I recommend allocating resources for schools to hire at least one professionally qualified individual with a salary commensurate with market standards to enhance administrative efficiency and professionalism while ensuring team stability.
提供專業教育行政人員培訓 | Professional Development for Education Administrative Staff
學校行政事務人員的職務內容甚廣，各校亦因校情不同，對人員的需求亦有不同。建議在校本培訓方面，增加與行政工作相關的內容，尤其可與有開設公共行政、組織管理及財務管理學科的高等院校合作，為學校行政人員提供適切的培育與支援。
Given the diverse responsibilities of school administrative staff and variations in school contexts, tailored training programmes are essential. Collaboration with higher education institutions offering courses in public administration, organisational management, and financial management can provide relevant support for school administrative staff members.
第一五／二○二○號法律《非高等教育私立學校通則》第二十三條關於對行政領導機關的職務的闡述，內容涉及學校的行政統籌、財務、人事、文書及設備設施等方面的管理工作，可見其工作幅度涉獵甚廣。主事者需具有專業的行政素養與經驗，方可處理日益繁重且多元的事務。故此，筆者建議推動行政E化、補充專業人員及為在校行政人員提供適合的培訓，相信是有助學校校本行政進一步優化之舉。
Article 23 of Law No. 15/2020 (Statute of Non-Tertiary Private Schools) outlines the extensive duties of school administrative organs, spanning administrative co-ordination, management of financial and personnel matters, clerical work, and facilities management. Given the breadth of responsibilities, individuals in these roles must possess professional administrative competencies and experience. Therefore, I advocate for the promotion of E-administration, the addition of designated professional staff, and the provision of appropriate training opportunities for school administrative staff as what I believe to be the solution that can further optimise school-based administration.