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Elaine Yau

Six-year-old Lau Hoi-ling makes her way through crowds at the border checkpoint every day carrying her heavy school bag.

Going to school is a testing journey for the Primary One student. She lives in Shenzhen and has to get up at 5.30am every morning to take a bus across the border to her school in Sheung Shui.

Hoi-ling is one of 4,500 cross-border students who travel from the mainland to Hong Kong to go to school five days a week.

With the rising number of cross-border marriages and mainland women who give birth in Hong Kong, there has been a sharp increase in the number of cross-border children over the past few years.

With their mothers waiting for a one-way permit to come to the city, the children live with their families in Shenzhen.

The long commute gives rise to  safety concerns and financial problems.

'I'm worried every day that she might get lost amid the human crush at the border. And the bus costs HK$830 a month, which is a heavy burden,' said Helen Jing, Hoi-ling's mother.

Although the buses provide point-to-point delivery, there's still the problem of children getting lost at the border.

'There are 24 of us,' said Hoi-ling.

'Two aunties take us across the border. If some children leave the queue, we have to wait for the aunties to find them.  I've been late for school several times because of this. Sometimes, my school bag is so heavy that I fall amid the crowd.'

Despite the risks of the cross-border journey, those who can get a place on the bus are  the lucky ones.

One-sixth of the students at HK & KLN EAMA Limited School (PM)  live on the mainland. The school is worried about students who cross the border on their own.

'The children need special permits as the buses go through certain points. But the permit quota for cross-border children is 2,500 a year. Those who don't get a permit have to take other means of transport, such as the KCR and public buses,' said Fung Chin-choi, principal of the Sheung Shui school.

The  children also have to sacrifice  extra-curricular activities because they spend so much time commuting.

'The cross-border children have to rush to catch the bus or train after school. They miss out on the interest classes the school offers,' said Mr Fung.

As the government does not provide enough support services for the cross-border families, some social organisations have set up outreach services.

Organised by Christian Action and The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Supportive Services for Cross-Border Students and Parents Project has provided counselling sessions for cross-border families since 2002.

Many of the cases that the social workers have worked on involve family problems, such as divorce and domestic disputes.

'Some mainland women and children are left without any money after their husbands abandon them,' said Samuel Chiu, a registered social worker with Christian Action.

'Since they don't have a Hong Kong  address, they cannot seek help from the Social Welfare Department.

'Since children with the right of abode in Hong Kong are not entitled to the subsidised education provided by the mainland government, they are  caught in a limbo.'

Christian Action hopes that the Hong Kong and mainland governments will work together to provide better support for cross-border children.

'Instead of subsidising only travel expenses on Hong Kong territory, the Student Financial Assistance Agency should provide transport allowances that cover the children's entire journey,' said Mr Chiu. 'The permit quota for cross-border students should also be higher.'



Alone at the border