Candidates vying for education seat say closing schools as student numbers decline is bad policy but unity largely ends there
- The 5 candidates seeking the sole seat for the education sector in the Legislative Council present range of solutions to the challenges facing teachers
- One hopeful, principal Jessica Man, argues teachers are given little notice before authorities hand them new tasks, such as commemorating the Nanking massacre
Five candidates fighting for the seat representing the education field in the Hong Kong legislature have called on the government to adopt small-class teaching but avoid closing schools as a way to cope with a declining student population.
While they also vowed to strive for easing the workload of teachers, the candidates were at odds over how to address other critical education challenges as they faced off at a forum on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Education Bureau announced it would merge two secondary schools given what it called a projected structural decline in the school-aged population.
Speaking at the forum, candidate James Lam Yat-fung, retired secondary school principal and member of the Education Convergence concern group, urged the government to hold off closing schools for at least six years “to allow time for the government and the education sector to discuss better solutions”.
“The authorities should also review policies to allow the children of those who wish to come to work in Hong Kong to study at government or government-aided schools,” he said. “This can open up a new source of students for schools and also help establish Hong Kong as an education hub.”
Candidate Chu Kwok-keung, headmaster of Ta Ku Ling Ling Ying Public School and a deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, said adopting small-class teaching could not only save a school from being shut down but also ease the workload of teachers.
“Teachers face very long working hours because they have too much administrative work to do,” said Chu, as he called for a cap on working hours.
