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Following is a question by the Hon Leung Yiu Chung and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Professor Arthur K C Li, in the Legislative Council today (June 21):
Question:
In recent years, quite a number of primary schools have ceased operation due to insufficient intakes, but there are still plans to build a number of new school premises. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of school-aged children for primary one and secondary one, the number of schools which ceased or will cease operation, and the number of school premises which were or will be built, in each of the past and next five years, broken down by school zones;
(b) whether it has assessed the amount of resources that were wasted in each of the past three years as a result of school premises being left vacant and teaching equipment laying idle following the cessation of operation of schools;
(c) whether, in order to reduce wastage, it will reconsider introducing small class teaching first in the districts with a decreasing number of school-aged children; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(d) whether it will consider suspending the construction of new school premises; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The respective numbers of primary one and secondary one students broken down by school district for the past five school years from 2001/02 to 2005/06 are shown in Table 1 and Table 2 of Annex I.
Based on the population distribution projections released by the interdepartmental Working Group on Population Distribution Projections in October 2004, the projections of school-age children (aged six) for primary one in each district for the coming five school years from 2006/07 to 2010/11 are shown in Table 1 of Annex II. It should be noted that the actual number of primary one students in individual districts is affected by parental choices and the prevailing demand in each of the school nets. Besides, students enrolled in primary one could be under or over the age of six. Hence, the actual number of students in primary one could be different from the projected figures.
As the planning of secondary school places is on a territory-wide basis, the projected number of school-age children for secondary one by district is not available. Based on the territorial population projections released by the Census and Statistics Department in mid-2004, the territory-wide projections (all districts inclusive) of school-age children (aged 12) for secondary one for the coming five school years from 2006/07 to 2010/11 are shown in Table 2 of Annex II. It should also be noted that students enrolled in secondary one could be under or over the age of 12. Hence, the actual number of students in secondary one could be different from the projected figures.
The number of schools which ceased operation from 2001/02 to 2005/06 school years are listed by district in Annex III. Under the existing policy, we have to examine each year the latest situation of schools that may cease operation, due to various reasons, in the coming school year. Therefore, we can only include in Annex III the number of schools that will cease operation in the 2006/07 school year. The actual number of schools ceasing operation in or after the 2007/08 school year is subject to future review to be conducted annually. Among the 83 schools which ceased or will cease operation as shown in Annex III, most are located in remote areas, equipped with out-dated or sub-standard facilities, or situated in housing estates affected by housing re-development schemes.
The number of school projects completed during the 2001/02 to 2005/06 school years as well as the number of funded projects for completion from the 2006/07 school year onwards are provided at Annex IV. Most of the one hundred odd school building projects completed were for the purposes of facilitating existing schools to offer whole-day education, upgrading sub-standard school premises, and providing parents with choices of different types of schools. The remaining projects were pursued to meet the increase in demand resulting from an increase in the number of secondary school students during that period.
(b) Mindful of the need to make good use of public funds, the Administration has always strived to ensure the gainful use of school premises and land resources. As stated above, most of the schools which have ceased or will cease operation in 2006/07 school year are either those with sub-standard facilities or are situated in housing estates affected by housing re-development schemes. By placing the affected students in larger schools with better facilities within the district, we are improving the quality of education for these students. Since these school premises are no longer suitable for educational uses, we have been returning them to relevant government departments for other non-educational purposes.
Those vacant school premises which are suitable for school or other educational uses shall be retained, for instance, for re-allocation of the premises for whole-day conversion of existing bi-sessional schools, temporary usage by schools undergoing redevelopment/reprovisioning etc. Of the 83 schools which have ceased operation from the 2001/02 to 2006/07 school years, only some 20 school premises are considered suitable for retention for school use or other educational purposes. We are ascertaining the intended uses of these premises, dealing with the necessary land allocation procedures and planning for the necessary renovation works, and have started to re-allocate these premises in a progressive manner.
According to the current practice, the Management Committee of the schools which cease operation shall propose and, upon our approval, transfer the teaching equipment and items deemed useful or having saleable value to other schools in need of them, or donate them to charitable organizations. This is to ensure that available resources are put to gainful uses.
(c) Whether or not to implement Small Class Teaching (SCT) is a professional issue concerning teaching and learning. SCT is not a means to address class reduction resulting from the declining student population, an issue which is being tackled separately through a series of measures introduced by the Government. Furthermore, implementing SCT only in districts with declining student population is unfair to students in other districts. Nor is it consistent with the education philosophy. Hence, we do not consider the idea feasible. All along, the Administration acknowledges the direction of SCT. Given the significant long-term financial implications and the need for SCT to be complemented by sufficient support measures, the Administration is of the view that it should be strategically and carefully planned. Hence, in the 2004/05 school year, we started a study on SCT in 37 primary schools to assess the benefits of SCT in terms of students' academic as well as affective performance, and to identify the support requirements. Separately, in the 2005/06 school year, we launched a SCT scheme for primary schools with high concentration of disadvantaged students. The experience and outcome of the above two initiatives will provide input to the Administration in formulating a long-term and effective policy on SCT.
(d) The School Building Programme serves various policy objectives. Some schools are built to meet the changes in demand for educational facilities arising from demographic changes. Some aim to inject diversity in the education system and provide choice for parents. Some are required to facilitate existing schools to offer whole-day education or to improve the learning environment by means of redevelopment and reprovisioning. We will adjust the Programme from time to time taking into account the population projections and prevailing developments in education. We will also review the provision of school places and the use of the school premises to ensure prudence and flexibility in the use of resources.
We have adjusted the School Building Programme in 2005 in the light of latest available population projections and other developments in education. The adjustments, including suspension and scope-reduction of a number of allocated school building projects, were reported to the Education Panel of the Legislative Council on October 24, 2005.
Ends/Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:10
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