Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah's allocation of HK$480 million to set up a scholarship fund for 20 bright local students a year to attend top universities overseas is a step in the right direction.

The scholarships, worth up to HK$300,000 each, will give priority to students enrolling in early-child (pre-primary) education programs or English-teaching. Tsang should win kudos for doing his homework.

Early child (kindergarten) education is more important than most people realize. But very few local programs to train kindergarten teachers, except some courses offered by Hong Kong Baptist University, are available in Hong Kong. This key issue must be addressed.

Kindergarten teachers are paid dismally and their social status is not as high as it should be. The scholarship students, after receiving training in teaching kindergarten kids overseas, must fulfill their obligations to teach in Hong Kong for two to four years.

When brilliant students become kindergarten teachers, the level of early child education will definitely be enhanced. And, perhaps, some kindergarten owners will be willing to pay higher salaries to attract returnees.

Scientifically, it has been proven that early child education is extremely important.

Timothy Knowles of the University of Chicago told a British magazine in February 2013 that "90 percent of the brain develops between the ages of zero to five, yet we spend 90 percent of our dollars on kids above the age of five." The magazine also quoted a study by the Organization of Economic Development & Cooperation (OECD), which finds that 15-year-olds worldwide who have attended pre-schools for more than a year perform better than those who have attended for only a year or not at all.

The OECD report also said that in Belgium, France and Israel, students educated at pre-schools have much higher reading scores than those who have stayed at home. The United States and South Korean governments also realize that early child education is important. The Barack Obama administration said earlier this year it would spend $2 billion more in 2013 on pre-primary education. The South Korean government said it would beef up education for 3-year-olds.

In Hong Kong, many 3-year-olds attend K-1. When they finish K-3 (the third year in kindergarten) they will start primary education at the age of 6. Tuitions at popular pre-schools can be prohibitively expensive.

Tsang, to his credit, also injected HK$5 billion into the Language Fund to help improve our students' English proficiency.

The policy to shift to mother-tongue education in the late 1990s has made some people slight the use of English. They underestimate the importance of high English standards in maintaining Hong Kong's role as a world financial center. Their shortsightedness has lowered the level of English proficiency among Hong Kong students, including university graduates. The error takes time to make amends.

It's good news to hear that Tsang is helping to rectify this situation. The teaching and use of English at school and our daily lives should be emphasized and encouraged.

As a major financial and business center, Hong Kong's logistics sector must be upgraded. Towards this end, Tsang should be praised for allocating HK$1 billion (in training programs and scholarships) to train young people to enter the marine and air transport industries.

The author is coordinator of the B.S.Sc in financial journalism program at Hong Kong Baptist University.

(HK Edition 03/06/2013 page1)