Kindergartens educators yesterday urged the government to bring the profit-making kindergartens within the ambit of education voucher subsidy scheme.

Speaking at the Legislative Council education panel yesterday, the educators said profit-making kindergartens should not be put into a disadvantaged situation.

The Executive Council will discuss today about the scheme and whether to make amendments in the scheme as proposed by Chief Executive Donald Tsang in his policy address.

Explaining that the government should not only favour the non-profit-making kindergartens, Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territories Kindergarten Education Advancement Association chairman Tam Siu-hing said: "We should be treated on par with non-profit making ones in a fair and just manner."

Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower Raymond Wong said it was not appropriate to use public funds for profit-making institutions. He also said the government would help kindergartens change into non-profit making ones.

Wong clarified that the voucher scheme had been conceived according to needs and to enhance early childhood education quality.