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Primary school needs HK$1 million in battle with bureau to stay open

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Ordered to close over low enrolments, institution fights for survival

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A primary school struggling for survival needs at least HK$1 million if the Education and Manpower Bureau approves a plan for it to run privately funded Primary One classes.

Leung Kee-cheong - headmaster of the Fresh Fish Traders' School in Tai Kok Tsui, which has been ordered to shut for a second time - said it cost about HK$600,000 to operate one Primary One class.

'We still have HK$900,000 left from private donations. The bureau requires schools to have money ready for three years as a guarantee, which means we need to have about HK$1.8 million in order to be qualified to run Primary One classes, and we are HK$1 million short,' he said.

The 384-pupil school has received only 10 applications for admission to its Primary One class, well below the minimum of 23 it needs to stay open. It is one of 13 primary schools the bureau has ordered to stop new admissions from September.

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The school, which would have to close in 2010 under the government's order, has submitted two proposals to the bureau.

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