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The population of school children has fallen, and the Honourable Tang Fei advocates the introduction of students from Southeast Asia and the Mainland to study in Hong Kong at full cost

2022-07-23T06:12:48.543Z


The population of schoolchildren is declining, and the authorities said earlier that they would stabilize the development of teaching in Hong Kong through resettlement, merger and closure. Deng Fei, a member of the Legislative Council and vice-chairman of the Federation of Churches, told the authorities on the radio program today (23rd).


The population of schoolchildren is declining, and the authorities said earlier that they would stabilize the development of teaching in Hong Kong through resettlement, merger and closure.

Deng Fei, a Legislative Council member and vice-chairman of the Federation of Education Federations, questioned the authorities' actions on a radio program today (23rd), arguing that short-term measures could be considered for the industry to "cough". Schools face the crisis of closing down and can be rescued; in the long run, the authorities must make population forecasts and bring in students from Southeast Asia and the Mainland.


Kong Weicheng, the principal of Ling Oi Primary School in Tin Shui Wai, Sheng Kung Hui, pointed out that in the past, the government schools had insufficient enrollment, and there were also mergers.

He also mentioned that the number of classes in different primary schools can vary greatly. If the industry reaches a consensus on voluntary class reduction, it is believed that the current situation can be improved.


▼The number of school children in Hong Kong continues to decline▼


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Deng Fei said that among the government's public expenditures, education expenditures are large, but the number of students continues to decline, or the authorities feel the need to make adjustments.

Under the epidemic, some students have withdrawn to the mainland, and some have emigrated with their parents. He believes that this is a short-term phenomenon, but under this short-term phenomenon, the authorities have adopted "measures that are not called reduction of classes and kill schools, but in fact they are measures to kill schools." Appropriately, "(The authorities) do you think there are short-term measures to stop the cough? Why not just merge from the beginning?"

The difficulty of school merger is not in the administration but in the will of the students

Regarding the issue of school mergers, he made it clear that the difficulty lies not in the administrative arrangement, but in whether the students of the merged schools are willing to continue their studies in the new school, "The Education Bureau of the official school is a school-running organization, and it can be done by order, but it is a matter of other schools. , the Education Bureau may have to do a lot of other methods to facilitate this.” If students are not sent, or the primary schools in the district do not report to some middle schools, some schools can be promoted to merge.

Deng Fei, a member of the Legislative Council and vice chairman of the Federation of Education Associations.

(file picture)

Freezing the class structure can "cough" in the short term, and advocates the introduction of students from Southeast Asia and the Mainland

Regarding the proposal to freeze the class structure put forward by the Hong Kong Secondary School Council and the 18th District Secondary School Principals Association in a recent letter, Deng Fei believes that the proposal can "cough" in the short term, and temporarily relieve the school's crisis of closing down, but in the long run, The authorities should make good population forecasts, and introduce students from Southeast Asia and the Mainland at the same time to allow them to study in Hong Kong at full cost.

He explained that if the number of students dropped sharply and Hong Kong education was mentioned, people would think of reducing classes and killing schools, and Hong Kong's education brand would collapse. "In the long run, the introduction of foreign students is the fundamental way." There are fewer boarding schools, when underage overseas students come to study in Hong Kong without guardians in Hong Kong. This problem has yet to be resolved.

Hung Wai-shing, principal of Tin Shui Wai Sheng Kung Hui Ling Oi Primary School.

(file picture)

Insufficient enrollment in government schools, combined with voluntary class reductions to protect the jobs of teaching staff, can improve the situation

Kong Weicheng, principal of Ling Oi Primary School in Tin Shui Wai, Sheng Kung Hui, pointed out that in the past, the government schools had insufficient enrollment, and there were also mergers.

He also mentioned that for some larger school sponsoring groups, when their schools are to be merged with other schools, it will be relatively easy to arrange the school's staff to move to other schools.

As for the allocation of places for secondary schools, Kong Weicheng believes that the allocation of places has its own mechanism, which is difficult for the government to control.

Regarding the proposal of voluntary class reduction in primary schools, Kong Weicheng pointed out that the number of classes in different primary schools can vary greatly. He believes that if the industry can reach a consensus and some primary schools are willing to take the lead in voluntary class reduction, it will improve the ecology and the situation, which is a feasible method.

▼April 22 DSE Diploma Examination ▼


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The teacher turnover rate is high, and the school has many vacancies.

Both of them mentioned on the program that this year is special, the teacher turnover rate is high, and there are many vacancies in schools, so teachers will not feel the impact of school resets, mergers, and closures for the time being.

Deng Fei mentioned that the loss of English teachers in secondary schools is more obvious. Most of them are teachers whose children are studying from kindergarten to primary school, and many are teachers with potential and can be promoted upwards.

Kong Weicheng admitted that it was a pity for the school.

In terms of teacher recruitment, Deng Fei said frankly that he has difficulties. "Someone can't be hired, even when the school starts, and the substitute class can withstand it, or hire people who are not up to the standard in his mind." Kong Weicheng pointed out that he was worried about the entry threshold. Lowering or affecting the quality of teachers needs to be solved by joint lesson preparation.

The Education Bureau will adjust the salaries of primary school principals and vice-principals from September, increase the number of senior-level teachers, and send a joint letter to the Primary School Council and the Principals Association. An interview with Cai Ruolian, who solves the difficulties in recruiting students in the Greater Bay Area

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2022-07-23

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