Education secretary pledges children will be educated where they live
Minister promises children will be educated in district where they live, but it is unclear how schools will absorb the 1,400 extra enrolments
The education secretary has promised "special arrangements" to ensure that children in the northern New Territories will get a school place in the district where they live despite intense pressure on schools from cross-border pupils.
"We pledge to increase the number of Primary One school places in North District in order to accommodate the wishes of these children to study within the same district," Eddie Ng Hak-kim said yesterday.
But parents and educators questioned how schools could be expanded to absorb 1,400 extra pupils - the estimated shortage of places - before the next school year starts in September.
One principal said it could mean expanding the size of classes to 38, 10 more than the citywide standard.
Schools are under pressure from an influx of children born in Hong Kong to mainland parents as well as offspring of local families living across the border.
Education officials said earlier that giving priority to children of local parents could be considered, but this was condemned by critics as discriminatory.
Yesterday Ng stopped short of such a measure, but said mainland parents would be encouraged to enrol their children in other districts.