MAINLAND children are flooding to Shenzhen schools teaching the Hong Kong curriculum in an effort to sharpen their competitiveness before moving to the territory. But each child must pay more than $1,500 a month in primary school fees - far more than any middle or low-income family could afford. Educationalists and social workers are urging the Chinese and Hong Kong governments to work together to help children adjust to the different education systems. Cheung Pik-fong, supervisor of a Hong Kong-based primary school in Futian, Shenzhen, said she was amazed at the demand when her school opened a year ago. The boarding school has attracted about 240 students to its Primary One to Three classes. In September that number will double when Primary Four classes open. 'The majority of my students come from nearby districts and are waiting for their one-way permits to Hong Kong. They chose our school because of our Hong Kong-style education, with great emphasis on English language,' Ms Cheung said. 'The parents hope their children can get familiar with the Hong Kong curriculum so they adjust to life in the territory without great difficulty.' Around 60 students would drop out of school in the new academic year because their permits to Hong Kong were about to be granted, she said. Legislator Cheung Man-kwong said such schools would do little to help the majority of mainland children planning to cross the border. 'The governments should consider giving them more assistance, such as by offering them bridging courses,' Mr Cheung said. Social worker Sze Lai-shan, of the Society for Community Organisation, said some immigrant children suffered because, not speaking good Cantonese or English, they could not talk to classmates.
