Hong Kong secondary schools told to inform government how many students wear masks on first day back
- Principals must also report number of students that boycott classes, take ‘abnormal leave’, or take part in ‘special incidents’
- Education Bureau says it wants to understand class boycotts, and whether there were any ‘special incidents’ requiring help
Principals in Hong Kong have been asked to tell the Education Bureau how many secondary students boycott class or wear a mask when they return to school, the Post has learned.
On Monday, the last day of the long weekend, the bureau also warned students not to participate in illegal activities, and asked schools to be flexible towards those who were affected by transport issues on Tuesday.
Two secondary school principals confirmed to the Post that the bureau had sent a message on Sunday telling them to supply information including the number of students who boycott class, wear a mask to school, and whether students are staging any non-cooperation movements.
But both principals said they believed the bureau just wanted an accurate idea of students’ latest reactions, instead of trying to monitor internal activities at city schools.
Meanwhile, the Professional Teachers’ Union urged pupils to “stay away from scenes of conflict” since the introduction of the anti-mask law, in a statement to teachers, students and parents on Monday.
On Sunday, in a WhatsApp message sent by the bureau to secondary school principals – and seen by the Post – officials said head teachers should hand over the information on Tuesday morning via WhatsApp or phone, and asked them to make a note of students who take “abnormal leave”, as well as to record any “special incidents” at school.
These would include students chanting slogans, staging sit-ins, and forming human chains.
The message also said if bureau officers did not receive that information by 11am on Tuesday, they would call schools for the details.
One source said principals from different school districts had received the message, but believed the main purpose of gathering such information was for the bureau to “better understand the trends” of students’ reactions to the new law.
Hong Kong protests: class boycott hits schools on first day of term
No students’ personal data will be handed to the bureau, the source said, and he also thought the bureau would require figures for the rest of the week, with some student groups calling for non-cooperation movements over the next few days.
Last month, just after the school year began, the bureau asked secondary schools to tell it how many students boycotted class, the source said, but because there was a “calmer atmosphere” back then, it did not make it mandatory for schools to supply that information, until now.
In a press release on Monday, the bureau reminded students to put safety first.
“Students should go back home as soon as possible after school. Do not stay on streets or head to places that might be dangerous, and do not participate in any illegal activities,” the statement read.
As transport disruption might continue on the first school day this week, the bureau also suggested that schools adopt contingency measures and be flexible towards students who were late or absent due to transport issues.
On Friday the bureau had issued a letter to school principals and supervisors – hours before the mask ban came into effect – to remind students not to wear a mask inside or outside school, unless for “religious or health reasons”.
That was criticised in some quarters as “unnecessary”, because schools were not affected by the new law, but in response the bureau said its letter was merely a reminder to students of the new law, and it “had not, and would never, collect names of students who wear a mask to school”.
In a second statement issued later on Monday, the Professional Teachers’ Union also said the bureau should not collect details on how many students were wearing masks as this would politicise a public health practice.
Education sector lawmaker and vice-president of the union Ip Kin-yuen said he believed such a move was “totally unnecessary”, as it would only put more pressure on schools.
“What does the bureau really want to achieve by collecting such figures?” he said. “And what if some of the non-cooperation movements happened solely outside school, should these events be reported as well?”
However, Wong Kwan-yu, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said it was a “responsible act” for the bureau to want to have a better understanding of the latest situation inside schools, adding he believed students who wore masks to school might mean they “endorse violence”. He said it was only reasonable for the bureau to get a better idea and act on it, rather than to “simply allow such acts to continue”.
In another response later on Monday, the Education Bureau said it had contacted schools every day since the start of the term to understand class boycotts and whether there were any “special incidents”, as it dismissed concerns over putting any “political pressure” on schools.
It also emphasised that schools would only be asked to provide a “rough impression” of numbers, and that it would not collect any personal data.
