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The government has no plans to extend Hong Kong’s school year after months of face-to-face classes being suspended. Photo: Winson Wong

Coronavirus: Hong Kong’s school year will not be extended despite disruptions to face-to-face classes, government says

  • Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung maintains schools have ‘effectively sustained’ pupils’ motivation over months of online courses
  • However, surveys have shown both students and teachers had concerns about keeping up with progress in virtual lessons
Hong Kong’s education minister has said there are no plans to extend the school term or shorten holidays, despite face-to-face classes being suspended for more than two months due to the coronavirus pandemic since the academic year started in September.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung maintained in a written response to lawmakers on Wednesday that most schools had “effectively sustained students’ learning motivation and progress” during online lessons, though previous surveys have shown some teachers and pupils were concerned about keeping up with the curriculum.

In-person classes at Hong Kong schools were suspended from early December until at least the end of the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, with only small groups of pupils allowed back on campus for half-day classes or exams.

Over the past year, classes have mostly been conducted online.

Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung. Photo: Nora Tam

A poll conducted by Save the Children last May showed more than 66 per cent of 274 primary and secondary school students experienced difficulties staying focused during virtual classes, with one-third saying they were only learning a little, or not at all.

Another survey in November by the city’s second-biggest teachers’ union, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, found over 70 per cent of 1,200 teachers polled felt pressure in handling online lessons and keeping up with teaching progress.

But Yeung said survey results by different groups should not be “taken out of context”, as various polls used different rubrics and methodologies.

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He said most schools had told the bureau last year that the implementation of home learning plans for students met their preset targets. Besides live virtual classes, some schools had made multiple teaching video clips and organised small online study groups to support pupils’ learning.

“We are of the view that there is no need to extend the school year or shorten the school holidays at the current stage,” he said.

Chan Ka-man, principal of SKH Kei Oi Primary School in Sham Shui Po, said his teachers and pupils had mostly been able to adapt well to online learning, and needy students had been offered help, including lending them electronic devices and Wi-fi hotspots.

Despite schools being allowed to bring up to a sixth of their student populations back to campus from Monday, Chan said his school planned to continue conducting lessons online for all grades, as some pupils lived in buildings with confirmed coronavirus cases.

“Our teachers have reflected that students were mostly able to focus well. For most subjects, learning progress has so far met our preset target for [the school year],” he said. “Teachers have also kept in touch closely with families to understand their needs.”

Kindergarten students return to school in Kowloon Tong in November, weeks before the government again suspended face-to-face classes. Photo: Winson Wong

However, Eiffel Chau King-lun, spokesman for the concern group Hong Kong Parents League for Education Renovation, said pressure was piling up on some people who were worried about their children falling behind.

“Children can often be easily distracted when learning online, and some parents have to accompany them during classes at home. Even if parents are working at home, it does not mean they are always able to take the time to do that,” he said.

He added that individual schools might still require some pupils to attend make-up classes during holidays to catch up – as they did last year – despite education authorities’ official stance on not extending the academic year.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Minister rules out extending academic year
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