Operators sought for Yau Tong school
The Education Bureau yesterday invited responses from school groups interested in taking over the troubled Pegasus school in Yau Tong and asked those interested to reply by next Monday.
The bureau said another party had to be found to take over the school as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transfer. 'The expression of interest exercise is convened for this purpose' and was a preparatory step before selection of a new governing body, a bureau spokesman said.
The move came as education officials last night met Pegasus Philip Wong Kin Hang Christian Primary School cum Junior Secondary School managers, including supervisor Carman Leung, to discuss issues relating to the change of sponsoring body.
Before the meeting, Ms Leung, who also chairs the school's sponsoring body Pegasus Social Service Christian Organisation, said she took a 'spiritual retreat', when asked why she had been unreachable for days. 'I needed to take some time to rest and calm down. I took a spiritual retreat.'
When asked why she did not respond to the bureau when it had tried to contact her, she said she only received an e-mail from the bureau on Monday and did not receive any others. When asked to comment about suggestions that another supervisor be appointed t, she said: 'It's OK. The most important thing is to provide a good education service.'
Ms Leung's her brother-in-law Tang Chung-ming, who is also a member of the school's board of directors, principal assistant secretary Steve Lee Yuk-fai, Kwun Tong chief school development officer Kwan Pak-keong and principal education officer (Kowloon) Edwin Tsui Kai-cheung attended the meeting.
The Pegasus organisation, last month informed the government that it would give up the right to operate the school. The government demanded that the group relinquish its rights by July 14.
The bureau also set guidelines for the new sponsoring body, stating that it 'should continue to operate the school under the direct subsidy scheme with minimal changes to the existing mission and vision of the school and the curriculum'.
The new group also should charge fees in the coming school year no more than that of 2008-09.
The sponsoring body should continue to employ the entire staff for 2009-10 as far as possible and all students including those who had already been admitted to Primary One classes in the new school year.
The new managing body would be required to bear the cost of the school's operation.
'Although the school is now operating Primary One to Secondary Three classes, given that the school premises were purposely designed and built for a primary school, the junior secondary levels should be gradually phased out after the takeover,' the spokesman said.
A briefing is to be held for interested parties at 11am tomorrow at the bureau's Wan Chai office.
