bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

What do you think about the quality of schools?

I read with concern about the reported fall in pass rates ('A-level English pass rate at a 12-year low', June 29).

For some local educators to excuse this because the total number of entrants has risen is in my mind unacceptable.

The rate has fallen and that shows we are getting worse.

It also shows we have not managed the resources or expectations enough if today  more than 25 per cent taking the exam fail.

I feel some initiatives such as the native-English teachers  programme have been wasted in many schools due to petty mindedness and failure to embrace the opportunity.

A full review of this is needed to ensure we really are getting what we pay for.

The native-English teachers  have so much to give yet they are frustrated  by the incumbent dogma in many of the schools' managements.

As an employer  in the city during the past 11 years, I can say that the English standards of graduates for interviews have declined to the point where many cannot articulate beyond basic introductions.

Wake up and smell the coffee Hong Kong!

Chris Mackreth, Discovery Bay

What do you think of the Mui Wo, Peng Chau ferry merger?

I refer to your report 'Proposal to merge off-peak Mui Wo, Peng Chau ferries' (July 4).

I could not think of a better way to discourage potential residents or tourists from wanting to consider living in either place.

Is this really the strategy or a scare tactic to get the government to wake up and subsidise the routes? I hope it's the latter.

I am amazed at the claims, as the Mui Wo routes are hardly empty even in off-peak times.

I would like to know why,  in fact, the off-peak hours are being targeted?

Eric Niemy, Mui Wo

The Transport Department's proposed merging of the two ferry routes from Central to Peng Chau and Mui Wo should serve as a warning to the Islands District Council to speed up the proposed redevelopment of Mui Wo.

Yes, passenger numbers have dropped considerably since the Lantau Link opened, but that was 10 years ago. Haven't our elected members let us down with the slow pace of redevelopment?

Opportunities abound on South Lantau to increase ferry numbers.

I agree the local population is not large enough to sustain such a privileged service.

Proximity to the Star Ferry as well as The Peak Tram bus puts Mui Wo Pier in the loop if you are doing the  Ngong Ping 360 cable car.

Shouldn't that be an incentive to promote such a day tour that would increase ferry traffic?

Strange things happen when Mui Wo features in the South China Morning Post.

Yesterday,  I received 'Facelift of Mui Wo Land Use Concept Plans Local Consultation Report' dated July 5, the day after your article.

Eight months in the making ... strange coincidence?

Paul Docherty, China Bear pub, Mui Wo

What do you think about hotline services?

Would iCable and PCCW/NowTV care to comment on why it is not possible to cancel their services online?

Having tried to cancel an unwanted phone line with PCCW, I was told by the salesman that nothing was needed in writing.

A bill duly arrived for the month's services after the cancellation, which was immediately queried.

I was informed there was no record of my conversation with the salesman and that I needed to sign a cancellation form that they could not send to me by fax or by e-mail.

On receipt of this form they would cancel the line two months later, thus benefiting from an extra three months of premiums.

It was only after an extremely heated conversation with a manager that they 'found' records of my original conversation and a refund was eventually received.

To say that the sales tactics of these companies stink would be an understatement of epic proportions.

Charles Low, Causeway Bay

Should more CSSA recipients be required to work?

I do not look down on recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).

However, I do believe it should only be offered to people who are in genuine need, not to those who are capable of working, but prefer instead to stay at home and wait for the CSSA payment.

If any CSSA recipients are deemed to be capable of working, then they should be forced to do so because it is their civic duty.  If you are physically capable of working, then it is your civic duty to get a job. Such people must be made aware that there is no free lunch in the world.  You cannot achieve  anything without dedication. If people are  not required to work, they will rely on the CSSA assistance just like a family I know.  They take it for granted that as long as they are Hong Kong citizens, they have the right to receive welfare even if they do not contribute to society.

If more CSSA recipients are made to go to work, this will reduce the financial burden on the government.

With a job-finding programme offered by the government, it is easy for CSSA recipients to get a job.

This enables them to do something meaningful with their lives. It also helps them to broaden their horizons. This is, in effect, a win-win situation for the government and the CSSA recipients.

Yau Nga-sze, Aberdeen

On other matters ...

Annelise Connell  (Talkback, June 28), of Minibus Spotters,  gave your readers some advice about reporting minibus drivers who are breaking the speed limit. The  most appropriate method is to contact the Transport Complaints Unit hotline on 2889 9999.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the matter will be referred to police or the Transport Department  for follow-up action.

Regarding use of the 999 system, Ms Connell's understanding of its use is correct.

It should only be used for calls of an emergency nature, where an immediate response is called for from the police or other emergency services to protect life or property.

Gordon Tam Yook-bun, police public relations branch, for the

chief superintendent

There are so many items in  ParknShop that are out of stock.

On any given day, in the Happy Valley store, the dairy section alone is typically out of stock for more than 50 items (I know, as I do a daily count of the number of items. I have lots of spare time). The meat section is not out of stock per se, but rather we are given such a restricted rotating selection it amounts to two-thirds to three-quarters in reality down on items available. You never know what meat items will be stocked.

On any given day, I bet there are close to 1,000 items that are in the Happy Valley branch. Kraft mayonnaise was missing from the shelves for about a month, for example.

I was recently talking to two representatives of a major supplier of brand products in Hong Kong. They indicated the problem might be a new central ordering system that the company uses.

Whatever the reason, the problem is severe and it is not good enough.

Gregory Pek, Happy Valley



Talkback