Operators of a kindergarten which allegedly enrolled 53 more pupils than its legal limit of 87 are expected to appear in court this month. At least two representatives of the Agnes Kindergarten, Argyle Street, Mongkok, are due to appear in court on November 19 after pleading not guilty to breaching enrolment rules. A further 16 schools have been warned by the Education Department about overcrowding. The findings of an Ombudsman's investigation released on Thursday revealed the Education Department had received more than 180 cases of over-enrolment since the 1996/97 school year. In one incident last year, one school took 945 students despite being allowed to teach only 332. In 1996/97, another crammed 223 pupils into a school with a capacity for 96. Since the beginning of this year, 16 schools, involving more than 30 school management staff, have been convicted of over-enrolment. Offenders risked being struck off the register if they breach education regulations repeatedly, officials said.
