Pegasus takeover hits hurdle as school refuses to sack staff

The takeover of the troubled Pegasus school in Yau Tong hit a snag yesterday as it refused to dismiss staff, a step the Education Bureau required to enable another operator to step in.

In a press conference yesterday attended by staff, school supervisor Carman Leung accused the bureau of forcing the sacking of all staff without first consulting Wong Kin-hang Christian Primary School cum Junior Secondary School.

'Did the government sack all the civil servants in Hong Kong before the handover,' she asked.

She said the bureau told the school on Sunday it had to sever contracts with staff, exactly one month before the school's sponsoring body, the Pegasus Social Service Christian Organisation, was due to hand over operating rights. Any new operator would re-sign teachers it needed to new contracts, but Ms Leung said the bureau's timing was inappropriate.

The Christian organisation told the government last month it would give up the right to operate the school. Independent Commission Against Corruption officers have gathered information at the school.

Ms Leung said the bureau wanted the school to give one month's notice in lieu of proper compensation.

'The bureau promised before that they would require the new sponsor to retain the existing staff as far as possible for at least a year,' Ms Leung said. 'Why are they in such a rush to ask us to terminate the staff's employment?