4,000 demand the government reconsider move against 31 schools with low enrolments
More than 4,000 teachers, parents and students marched through the city wearing yellow ribbons yesterday to protest against the government's decision to stop 31 primary schools recruiting new pupils in September.
The march from Edinburgh Place to the Central Government Offices set a precedent as most participants were pupils from 40 primary schools, according to the Professional Teachers' Union, which organised the event.
'The government would have never imagined that children could be so emotionally attached to their schools. It only looked at enrolment figures when deciding which schools to cut to save costs,' union president and legislator Cheung Man-kwong said.
The decision to stop primary intakes in September is the first phase of the government's plan to close the 31 schools over the next three to four years.
The union said many pupils were hurt by the decision to close the schools as it suggested they were the bad ones.
