Ethnic minority pupils in Hong Kong face hurdle in obtaining visa for study tours to mainland China, principals say
- Pupils must take part in study tours to mainland as part of new core subject called citizenship and social development
- But principals say some parents may be put off by list of documents needed for visa and pupils must also spend extra hours at immigration
Hong Kong secondary schools have warned that ethnic minority pupils must jump through hoops to obtain the visa needed to take part in compulsory study tours to mainland China, and called on authorities to streamline the process.
Form Five pupils sitting the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams must go on study tours to the mainland as part of a new core subject called citizenship and social development next year. More than 1,000 ethnic minority students take the exams every year.
The first batch of schools embarked on the one-day trip in April, while others plan to visit in July, when the term ends.
Yuen Kwok-ming, principal of Caritas Tuen Mun Marden Foundation Secondary School, said it organised a trip to Shenzhen and Guangzhou to visit universities in May. Eight non-Chinese students took part in the trip and they were required to fill out forms at the border.
“Then they were all kept waiting in the manual channels,” he said, adding pupils holding home return permits could cross the border quickly via the electronic channels.
“We waited over half an hour for the eight non-Chinese students holding foreign passports to go across the border.”
Yuen expressed concern that pupils and teachers would have to wait up to two hours to enter the mainland during the coming July trip, which 30 ethnic minority students, or half of those in Secondary Five, were expected to join.
The principal said long waiting times for immigration clearance would result in a shorter trip, adding transport already took more than two hours.