LettersOpen Hong Kong schools, for the children’s sake

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Young students back in class in Shau Kei Wan on June 15, during a phased reopening of schools after they remained mostly shut since the Lunar New Year because of a Covid-19 outbreak. The third wave has brought an indefinite ban on face-to-face teaching. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 7:40am, 26 Aug 2020Updated: 7:40am, 26 Aug 2020

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung needs to get Hong Kong schools back open. Governments around the world are making it a key priority, but that does not seem to be the case in Hong Kong.

Children here have already missed months of school, yet once again they find themselves stuck at home and parents have no idea for how long. There is talk about opening restaurants for dinner, fitness centres and beauty parlours as Covid-19 cases come down, but no news on when schools will reopen.

Studies around the world have shown it is safe for children to attend school if social distancing measures like the ones seen in June are in place.

The long-term effect of school closures on our children could be devastating, with domestic violence, obesity and mental health issues all on the rise due to the amount of time spent at home.

John Pimlott, Wan Chai

Where is the policy guidance on resuming classes?

I’m writing to raise the issue that the reopening of schools does not seem to be a priority for the Hong Kong government at all. In sharp contrast to other governments around the world, the Hong Kong government has made no mention of schools at recent press conferences and there is no policy or guidance on reopening schools.