Call to allow family transfer of education subsidies rejected by DSEDJ

A legislator has proposed adopting a “health voucher” model for the Continuing Education and Development Program, which would allow account balances to be transferred or shared among immediate family members, despite previous statements from the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) that deemed such an approach inappropriate.

Lawmaker Si Ka Lon urged the authorities yesterday to initiate a comprehensive evaluation of the program’s fifth phase, which is set to conclude next year. He emphasized that through data-driven analysis and the collection of public opinion, this evaluation would provide a policy basis for optimizing the next phase of the program.

His suggestions include adopting a “medical voucher” model to eliminate restrictions on individual accounts, allowing subsidy quotas to be transferred and shared among family members, and reducing the beneficiary age from the current 15 years.

He stated, “Talent cultivation is increasingly focused on younger age groups. It is now common for adolescents to participate in interest classes and skills training from an early age, with demand for such programs continuing to rise.” He added, “However, with inflation driving up training costs, the current subsidy cap limits the number and depth of courses residents can enroll in, thereby failing to meet family needs.”

He also noted that many seniors have ample time and a strong desire to learn, but low-cost courses are often limited to specific institutions and categories. Diverse interest courses offered by private institutions, which are constrained by operational costs and lack targeted subsidies, frequently carry higher tuition fees.

However, prior to Si’s pre-agenda statement, the director of DSEDJ, Kong Chi Meng, said during the public broadcaster TDM’s radio program earlier this month that he was aware of public suggestions for establishing a transfer mechanism. After consulting with scholars and organizations and analyzing the data, the authorities concluded that such a mechanism was inappropriate.

He further noted that last year, residents aged 50 and above accounted for 43% of those utilizing continuing education subsidies, reflecting a strong demand for learning among middle-aged and elderly individuals. Kong argued that if continuing education subsidies were transferable, this demographic would lose access to government-funded opportunities for self-improvement, which could indirectly and significantly increase learning pressure on children.