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Following is a question by the Hon Gary Fan Kwok-wai and a reply by the Acting Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
Question:
There will be a shortfall of around 1 400 Primary One (P1) places in the North District in the 2013-2014 school year, and the allocation results of the Central Allocation exercise under the Primary One Admission (POA) System for that school year will be released on June 1, 2013. The Secretary for Education has indicated early this year that by then, students of the North District who have been allocated P1 places in the Tai Po District may apply for re-allocation of P1 places in the North District (re-allocation mechanism). The authorities will address their wish to study in their home district by increasing the number of P1 places in the North District. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether all students of the North District who have been allocated P1 places in schools outside their home district in the POA Central Allocation exercise can be re-allocated P1 places in the North District under the aforesaid re-allocation mechanism; if they cannot, whether the Education Bureau has other measures to help such students gain admission to schools in the North District; of the measures the Education Bureau has put in place to ensure that such students will be admitted to their favourite schools under the re-allocation mechanism;
(b) of the respective numbers of cross-boundary students applying for P1 places in the North District, Tai Po, Shatin, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun during the Central Allocation stage in this school year, together with the number of such students in each district who were allocated places in schools in other districts due to insufficient school places; and
(c) of the respective numbers of places borrowed from schools in Tai Po and Shatin in the past three school years and the current school year to cater for students of other districts; whether the schools concerned originally had surplus places; whether such a measure of borrowing school places would affect the chances of students of the two districts being allocated places in their favourite schools in their home districts; how the Education Bureau will assist students of the two districts in gaining admission to their favourite schools in their home districts?
Reply:
President,
(a) The existing Primary One Admission (POA) System comprises two stages: "Discretionary Places Admission" stage and "Central Allocation" stage. At the Central Allocation stage, parents may firstly choose up to three schools in or outside the school net in which they reside, and the remaining school choices are restricted to schools in their respective school net.
In the light of the continuous upsurge of cross-boundary students and their propensity to choose schools in the North District under the POA, the Education Bureau (EDB) announced on February 1, 2013 to implement the "Special Measures" this year (2013) to facilitate the "return" of Primary One (P1) students in the North District to their home district for study. Upon the release of this year's POA allocation results, students who reside in the North District and have chosen a school net in the North District during their POA application but have been allocated a P1 place in Tai Po in the Central Allocation stage, and subsequently decided to give up the allocated P1 place with a view to studying in their home district instead, will be arranged a P1 place in the North District. However, these students would not be provided with any choice of schools.
The "Special Measures" mentioned above are not applicable to other students allocated with a P1 place in Tai Po, including cross-boundary students of the North District. As in the past, students who would like to give up their allocated places due to whatever reasons may approach other schools (note) direct on their own with effect from July 2, 2013. The North District School Development Section of the EDB will provide assistance to parents as appropriate.
(b) In POA this year, the number of cross-boundary students choosing a school net in North, Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts as their school net during the Central Allocation stage are around 1 230, 270, 290 and 340 respectively. School nets in Shatin are not open for selection by cross-boundary students. Among North, Tai Po, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun Districts, only students of the North District amounting to less than 400 have been allocated places in the neighbouring district (Tai Po), and less than 200 of them are residing in the North District.
(c) About 80, 130, 350 and less than 400 P1 places were borrowed from Tai Po to meet the demand in the North District (Net 80) in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. No places were borrowed from Shatin to other districts.
Under the POA System, the 18 districts in the territory are divided into 36 school nets. It is unrealistic to expect that the supply of school places would fully meet the demand in individual districts / school nets every year. The demand and supply of school places in individual districts / school nets is subject to year-on-year changes due to various factors, including the number of newly arrived students, redevelopment of public housing estates, development of individual schools, etc. We have established and effective measures to cope with the year-on-year changes in demand and supply of school places. These measures include borrowing places from the neighbouring districts / school nets, using vacant classrooms, converting rooms of other purposes into classrooms, etc.
The POA System is designed to alleviate the pressure on children of tender age arising from competition for school places and its adverse effect on pre-primary education. It also aims to provide an orderly and convenient way for parents to seek school admission for their children. We encourage parents to acquaint themselves with the allocated schools so as to facilitate home-school cooperation in helping students' personal development.
Note: Each year from July onwards, schools may fill surplus places upon allocation of students and those "additional" places within the enrolment cap at their discretion.
Ends/Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Issued at HKT 12:32
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