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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Eddie Ng Hak-kim, after attending a radio programme today (August 17):
Reporter: Please comment on the new scheme (the revised Primary One Admission arrangement for 2014) for the cross boundary students, do you think that is the best solution? ... kids to travel long distances, do you think it will actually solve the shortage problem of school places?
Secretary for Education: First of all, if you look at the whole arrangement, or if you allow me to use the abbreviation CBS (cross boundary students), this is a new challenge to Hong Kong and this is the reality that we, Hong Kong as a whole, need to manage. Secondly, it already happened, so the point is how to deal with it. In the last couple of years, we have been trying very hard to use different measures to address it. Based on the experience we recognised, there will be some CBS really want to cross the boundary to attend the education system in Hong Kong and that is the fact. But in terms of how many, when, how, who and whom, it depends on the very subjective decision made by individuals. Therefore, we try to manage it by looking at the situation.
First of all, the past experience tells us that, if we do not do anything, the pressure will be focused on one or two particular school nets, which is not fair and causing a lot of difficulties. Therefore, the new scheme will expand the choices from one particular school net in Part B of the Central Allocation Stage to eight different school nets. So there will be much wider choices to make it more evenly distributed.
The second focus will be on the CBS' parents who keep on asking why they have too limited choices, or just based on one school net, the number of schools is not enough. Therefore, we expand it to eight school nets, a lot more schools for parents to consider. Beyond that, we will also encourage schools which are ready, in a sense that they already have CBS in their schools, they already have all the basic conditions and requirements met, and experience is already there in handling CBS, to join the scheme as well. If you look at these two, there will be a lot more school places in a more evenly distributed manner for parents to choose. We believe that is the best way to do that. But, of course, the reality is, for the CBS, they will need to face the real challenge, time to travel, which is not healthy to that extent, particularly for the young kids as such. If they need to travel for hours in order to come and go to schools every day, that would not be effective in learning and that would not be good for health. That's why we are asking parents to really take very serious consideration before they consider sending their children using the cross boundary schooling approach.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Saturday, August 17, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:01
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