Page 18 - Mini-Module 9

The School Sponsoring Body (SSB)

Section 40AE of the Education Ordinance provides that the
SSB shall be responsible for:
meeting the cost of furnishing and equipping the new
school premises of the school to, where applicable,
standards as recommended by the Permanent Secretary;

I. setting the vision and mission for the school;
II. maintaining full control of the use of funds and assets owned by
it;
III. deciding the mode of receiving government aid;
IV. ensuring, through the sponsoring body managers, that the
mission is carried out;
V. giving general directions to the incorporated management
committee in the formulation of education policies of the school;
VI. overseeing the performance of the incorporated management
committee; and
VII. drafting the constitution of the incorporated management
committee.

Given that a Principal has a primary duty to account to the
IMC, there is no specific duty relative to the SSB. However,
it is not uncommon for a Principal to attend and report on
the progress of a school at meetings of the SSB itself. A
Principal, however, should bear in mind that, unlike when
there was only a management committee consisting of SSB
members, instructions from SSB managers should properly
be given at an IMC meeting. SSB Managers are one class of
managers, and though they can have a dominant say on the
IMC, it is legally proper to consider authority stemming
from the IMC where other stakeholders also have a say.

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