(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) The uncontrolled low-grade cross-border students still have difficulty returning to Hong Kong
China News Agency, Hong Kong, July 20 (Reporter Zeng Ping) Yang Runxiong, the director of the Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, said on the 20th that the recent epidemic in Hong Kong has no signs of being controlled. It is expected that it will be difficult to arrange for cross-border students in grade three or below Return to Hong Kong for school in the new school year.
The number of confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia in Hong Kong has soared in the past two weeks, and all primary and secondary schools and kindergartens in Hong Kong have already put summer vacation ahead of schedule on July 13. Yang Runxiong said that unless public transportation and more immigration control points resume operation in the short term, at best, it can only be studied to continue to allow cross-border students who have progressed to Form 4 to Form 6 to return to Hong Kong in the new school year.
Yang Runxiong pointed out that arranging the resumption of classes for cross-border students involves multiple areas, including the full cooperation of the Shenzhen government, the epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic policies of the two places, immigration control, and transportation arrangements. It takes a lot of time for schools, parents and students , Resources and preparation effort. He predicts that it is difficult to make arrangements for cross-border students in grade 3 or below to return to Hong Kong for classes in the new school year, but the Education Bureau will discuss with the school to allow these students to study at home and provide them with appropriate support.
For local students, Yang Runxiong said that based on the experience of previous years, some international schools and kindergartens will open in early August, but the recent epidemic in Hong Kong is very serious and there are no signs of control. In order to protect the health of teaching staff and students, all schools in Hong Kong, including the above schools, will not start school as early as August 17.
Yang Runxiong pointed out that the Education Bureau will continue to consider the start of the new school year based on the experience of resuming classes in stages and grades. The final start date of various schools will be determined according to the development of the epidemic. The Education Bureau will try to give the school two weeks to prepare.
He said that he understands that teachers and students and parents expect to start school as soon as possible, which is also the common goal of the Education Bureau. But at the same time, it is absolutely impossible for the Education Bureau to allow students to take risks at the peak of the epidemic to start school. I hope everyone will be patient and fight the epidemic together, so that the epidemic will disappear as soon as possible. (Finish)