Tardy officials should review procedures
In response to the red rainstorm warning on June 8, the Education Department suspended all school classes for the morning session at 8.20am.
This was wholly inappropriate. First, most of the students had already arrived at their schools by then. If the weather was so bad, how did they make it to the schools? It would have been far more sensible for the department to have made this announcement earlier, before the children left home.
Second, why doesn't the department have its own contingency plans, instead of telling the schools to adopt their own measures for looking after the students?
I appreciate that officials must act when there is a red or black rainstorm warning, but they must adopt a sensible and flexible approach. It is very important to make timely announcements.
I hope the Education Department will undertake a serious review of procedures and take into account the needs of parents, pupils and schools.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
