Schools mull tougher air pollution policies
Schools and kindergartens are considering stepping up their response to air pollution after a school swimming gala was cancelled due to very high roadside readings.
Chinese International School called off the annual event at Victoria Park swimming pool on Wednesday because of concerns about students' health after the Causeway Bay roadside reading hit 111. The school switched the event to its indoor pool, and fewer than half the 789 students due to attend could participate.
Canadian International School informed parents through its newsletter yesterday that it was monitoring air pollution levels carefully. It would not confirm that a cross country run scheduled for today in Aberdeen Country Park would take place.
'Following reports of high levels of pollution in the air in the past week, the school would like to assure parents that we continue to monitor the pollution levels in the lead-up to outdoor sports events, including the Upper School Cross Country Run scheduled for today,' it said.
A spokesman said: 'I think in all likelihood it is going to go ahead because the pollution levels on this side of the island tend to be lower.'
School leaders discussed the issue of how to respond to high air pollution yesterday and would send a representative to a forthcoming Canadian Chamber of Commerce workshop on clean air, the spokesman said. 'It is certainly something we are looking at,' he said.
May Cheung Yuet-mei, office manager of the Woodland Group of Schools, which runs 10 kindergartens, said: 'We are planning to discuss the issue of air pollution in our next Woodland group management meeting in October.'
