Don’t take away summer holiday, say Hong Kong teachers amid coronavirus upheaval

City’s second-largest teachers’ union and primary school heads’ group say classes can still get through the curriculum once things return to normal

Students have been learning at home since the Lunar New Year break ended, with closure extended until March 16

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Schools have been closed since the Lunar New Year break ended, because of the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 4:00pm, 14 Feb 2020Updated: 9:11pm, 14 Feb 2020

A pro-establishment teachers’ union joined primary school heads on Friday to call on the Hong Kong government not to postpone or cancel the summer holidays, after the education secretary mooted the calendar change.

The 35,000-strong Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, the city’s second-largest teaching union, released a statement saying staff were absolutely able to finish the curriculum on time, through online learning arrangements currently in place.

“The federation opposes mandatorily postponing or cancelling the summer holidays. After classes resume, schools will decrease assemblies, tours and exchange programmes to guarantee students’ health,” the statement read.

Classes have been suspended for two weeks since the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, in response to the outbreak of Covid-19 in January. Earlier this week, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung announced a further suspension until March 16.

The coronavirus which causes the disease has infected more than 64,400 people globally and claimed more than 1,350 lives, mostly in mainland China. Hong Kong had recorded 53 cases, with one related death, as of Friday.