Coronavirus: Hong Kong schools could resume classes in phases by September, sources say after meeting with education chief

Hong Kong schools could resume face-to-face classes in phases by mid or late September at the earliest starting with half-day sessions, sources told the Post on Thursday, after the city’s education minister met school representatives to discuss arrangements.

Senior secondary students and those beginning their first year in secondary schools are expected to be the first batch to resume lessons on campus. Primary and secondary school representatives also said Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung did not pin down any exact date for class resumption during the meetings.

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, face-to-face lessons for Hong Kong’s 900,000 pupils at kindergartens, primary and secondary schools were suspended for four months before resuming in phases from late May. But a resurgence of cases in July prompted officials to ask schools to conduct online lessons until further notice.

Local primary and secondary schools typically begin their new academic year in September, while many international schools had already launched classes in August.

Two sources present at the meetings – two sessions for primary and secondary school heads – told the Post that education officials expected pupils in Form One, Five and Six in secondary schools to be the first batch back on campus when classes resume, while those in Form Two to Four would be in the second wave.

Despite some school heads previously suggesting that senior secondary students could stay on campus for longer hours in the afternoon, a source said education officials had dismissed the idea during Thursday’s meeting.

Education authorities were expected to make an announcement some two to three weeks before classes resumed, the sources said.