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Mimi Lau

Buildings 'should be inspected' after a number of substandard premises are discovered
Welfare sector lawmaker Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung has renewed calls for an  inspection of all special schools' buildings and for substandard premises to be upgraded.
Dr Cheung,  chairman of the Legco special education subcommittee, called on the Education Bureau to thoroughly check the 61 special schools by September to ensure they met government standards.
They should be checked for  ramps,  lower-floor facilities and the correct ratio of special rooms to classrooms, he said.
Dr Cheung said he had identified at least three special schools - in Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin and Kwun Tong - that did not comply.
He will meet bureau representatives on Monday  to discuss the issue  for the first time.
'A lot of these schools are in substandard condition. It's not right  seeing as they cater for students with disabilities,' Dr Cheung said.
'It's a disgrace that the self-proclaimed 'Asia's world city' puts students with special education needs in a substandard environment.
'We have to be sensitive and alert to the risks in special schools where mobility is limited. Should disaster strike it could be really dangerous.'
Dr Cheung complained in February that Chi Yun School  in Sham Shui Po  had no ramps, staircases in  the four-storey  building were steep and a narrow lift served 74 students, 51 of whom  were in wheelchairs.
An indoor garage damaged by a landslide seven years ago had yet to be fixed and he feared students' lives would be at risk if a fire broke out.
'Each year, the Education Bureau has an average HK$300 million unused budget. This money could well have been spent upgrading or even rebuilding the facilities, but special schools are never on the agenda,' Dr Cheung said.
Two weeks ago, Dr Cheung visited a  special school in Sha Tin, which caters for more than 90 students with physical disabilities, and found it in an 'unacceptable condition'.
With more than 90 students with physical disabilities, SAHK Ko Fook Iu Memorial School  shares a  site with Wo Che Lutheran School. The two schools are believed to be the only  co-joined ones left in Hong Kong.
The special school has shared the bottom two floors with the primary school for 29 years. A two-storey block was later built adjacent to the main building but the special school still lacks enough classrooms, special rooms,  ramps and full access to an outdoor playground.
Requests to use the shared outdoor playground are often rejected by Wo Che Lutheran School, which says it needs the space for its 500 pupils. SAHK Ko Fook Iu Memorial School gets to use the playground for less than three hours a week. Access areas are also cramped and parents say their complaints are  ignored.
Lobo Ho Bo-ching  is a mother of a 13-year-old boy who has moderate intellectual and physical disabilities. She said the government should ensure children had enough classrooms and a fair chance to enjoy a playground of their own.
'At any one time, there are two to three groups of students with different disabilities and ages learning in the same classroom,' Ms Ho said.
Ivy Tam Wan-ching,  whose  son, 13,  has  the same problems  as Ms Ho's, said it was hard to get their message across to the government.
'Because our children can't express what they need, we as parents are forced to come up with courage to fight for them,' Ms Tam said.
Principal Benjamin Ng Man-kwong  said the 10 classrooms  were not enough for  90-plus students from Primary One to Form Three with differing levels of disabilities.
The school is due  to host senior secondary students after 2009 but it means its facilities will be stretched even further. 'This is not a welfare issue, it's about equal opportunities,' Mr Ng said. Dr Cheung said the situation was 'unacceptable'.
Wo Che Lutheran School  has applied to move to another site in the same district but  is waiting to hear back from the government.
An Education Bureau spokeswoman said the government had met with SAHK Ko Fook Iu Memorial School.
The government would decide whether to grant its request for funding to build ramps before the 2009-10 school year.
She said the bureau would continue to monitor the situation.



Lawmaker urges check on special schools