Lessons to be learned from school with ‘shadow’ students
The principal of Hing Tak School in Tuen Mun has been accused of inflating the number of registered pupils to support claims for government funding; it’s time for the school’s management to be overhauled
A badly managed school is not usually a big news story. But the way Hing Tak School, a primary school in Tuen Mun, has become so dysfunctional it would have been almost comical but for the terrible effects it may have had on the well-being of its young pupils.
What is worse is that for a government-subsidised school, the Education Bureau has known about its problems for some time, yet little was done about it other than sending a troubleshooter to smooth things over two months ago.
But clearly, the trouble goes much deeper, as police have been called in to investigate. None of this might have come to light – or at least not so quickly – had a few teachers not complained to the Professional Teachers’ Union, which helped them take their case to the bureau.
The most serious matter is the allegation that school management inflated student numbers to keep government funding and avoid being targeted for closure. Twenty-one “shadow” students had allegedly been missing school for up to two years.
Police are looking into the matter, though the school principal said some of the missing students – most from the mainland – had been on extended sick leave; others were kept on the school roster at the request of parents.