Coronavirus: bringing forward Hong Kong school holidays as part of mass Covid-19 testing plan will add to workload and cause disruptions, teachers and pupils say
- Break will stretch to April 17 and the last day of the school year will then be pushed back to August 12
- Move is among measures by the city to conduct compulsory Covid-19 testing on entire population to tame fifth wave of infections
Bringing forward the summer holidays for students in Hong Kong as part of a government plan to conduct citywide Covid-19 screening will add to the workload for schools, disrupt teaching and learning, as well as affect the vaccination drive for young residents, according to members of the education sector.
Teachers and students were responding on Tuesday to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s announcement that all schools – to be used as testing, isolation and vaccination venues – would start their summer holiday in early March.
The break will stretch to April 17. The last day of the school year will then be pushed back to August 12.
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Hong Kong announces universal Covid-19 testing, school holidays moved up, tightened restrictions
The moves are part of measures by the city to conduct compulsory Covid-19 testing on its entire population to tame a fifth wave of infections, with many aspects of life set to come to a standstill until late April.
Belinda Greer, chief executive officer of the English Schools Foundation (ESF), told parents in a notice about the government’s announcement, saying she would attend a meeting with the Education Bureau on Wednesday morning to find out more details.
“This is clearly an extremely challenging development and a massive disruption to our work,” she said.
The meeting is expected to be attended by all international school operators.