Primary school children must wait until Thursday, however, to find out if they will be allowed back into their classrooms next Monday. All schools have been shut since March 29.

The return to school for Forms Three to Seven was taking place this morning after the Education and Manpower Bureau distributed to every secondary school a digital thermometer, 20 ear protectors, 3,000 face masks and a set of precautionary guidelines.

The 400 or so secondary schools which are reopening have been inspected by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department over the past two days. Principals have been ordered to educate students on prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) today.

The bureau requires parents to measure their children's temperature and certify they do not have a fever before they are allowed to attend school each day. Students must bring their own face masks and wear them in class.

However, about 15 secondary schools have decided to remain shut, said Secretary for Education and Manpower Arthur Li Kwok-cheung yesterday. Many of them are in Kwun Tong and Tai Po, two of the districts worst hit by the virus, he added.

The education chief said that schools had the discretion to remain shut if they had the approval of their school council and parent-teacher association, and so long as they could ensure that students' learning would not be adversely affected.

Professor Li will announce on Thursday whether primary and secondary classes below Form Three can return next Monday as planned. Kindergartens will then be free to decide individually whether to reopen.

The English Schools Foundation will open its secondary schools tomorrow for students in year nine or above. Classes for younger pupils will remain suspended until next Monday at the earliest.

The situation varies in other international schools, with some following the government guidelines and others, like the Australian International School and Canadian International School, due to resume classes next Tuesday.

Cheng Yan-chee, Deputy Secretary for Education and Manpower, said that the bureau would send staff to all secondary schools today to monitor their reopening and find out what support they needed.

However, Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen, a principal and chairwoman of the Hong Kong Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, said that schools found some precautionary guidelines vague.

'We still don't know how we could protect ourselves if we discover an infected case at school, how physical education lessons should be conducted and how to arrange the lunch seating area for students,' she said. An online petition against the resumption of classes for senior secondary students had collected nearly 14,000 responses by last night.

The petition, organised last week by Wynne Lo, a 14-year-old student from St Stephen's Girls' College, said the government was using older students as 'guinea pigs' by sending them back to school.

* For more stories, read the main news section of the South China Morning Post.

Glossary

mandatory (adj) being a must, compulsory

precautionary (adj) something done in advance to prevent a bad thing from happening

discretion (n) freedom and authority to make judgment and decide what to do

at the earliest (phrase) with the least delay

to monitor (v) to watch and check

vague (adj) not clear

Discussion points

- For those who are reading this article at school, how do you feel about returning to school after a three-week break?

- Should primary schools be resumed as soon as possible? Give your reasons.

- Do you have any suggestions to help fellow students adjust to normal school life?

- What do you think about those students who do not check their temperatures at home as advised?