Catholic and Anglican churches pledge to continue fighting education reforms
Education officials hoped to change the minds of school reform bill opponents by making clear to them the good points of an inclusive management model, they said yesterday.
Andrew Poon Chung-shing, principal assistant secretary for education and manpower (quality assurance), said he would invite schools already allowing parents, teachers and community members to sit on management committees to share their experiences with sponsoring bodies which refuse to comply with the bill and doubted the government's intentions.
The Education (Amendment) Bill 2002, which requires schools to set up incorporated management committees that include elected teacher and parent representatives by 2012, was passed on Thursday after 16 months of debate in the Legislative Council. The bill also allows the government to appoint committee members if it finds faults in a school's management.
But the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church's Sheng Kung Hui, two of the largest sponsoring bodies in Hong Kong, have pledged to continue fighting the bill by legal means. They fear the government will have too strong a grip on schools and that dissenting representatives could disrupt operations.
Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, head of the Catholic Church, said yesterday the church would use 'incredible' means to ensure the bureau would not harm the management of its schools.
