On 6^th to 8^th February 2021, the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools (HKAHSS) conducted a survey regarding the arrangement of class resumption after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday.  338 responses from secondary schools were received in 3 days, which was over 70% of the total number of secondary schools in Hong Kong. This reflected that principals are very much concerned about the policy.

 

Below are the data collected regarding the arrangement of class resumption after the CNY holiday:

1. In the COVID-19 Targeted Group Testing Scheme implemented by the Education Bureau (EDB) earlier, did your school attain 100% participation rate?

96% of the principals replied that they did not attain 100% participation rate in the COVID-19 Targeted Group Testing Scheme implemented by the EDB earlier.

 

2. How will your school arrange the half-day face-to-face classes after the CNY?

94% of the principals responded that they would arrange not more than one third of the total number of students to be back to school after the CNY.  Only 9 secondary schools, which was about 3%, said that they would arrange all of their teachers and staff to take regular virus tests for full resumption of face-to-face classes.

 

3. Regarding EDB’s “Further Option for Individual Schools”, will your school conduct any survey on your teachers’ and staff’s intention to take regular virus tests?

34% of the principals expressed that they would not conduct any survey on their teachers’ and staff’s intention to take regular virus tests whereas 25% said they would.  41% said that they were not certain whether they would conduct any survey.

 

4. Does your school have any worries when considering whether your school would fulfil the criterion for “Further Option for Individual Schools” for whole school’s full resumption of face-to-face classes? (You may choose more than one option.)

Most of the principals had many different worries on EDB’s “Further Option for Individual Schools”.  The majority of the principals (89%) had doubts over whether 100% of the teachers and staff could take virus tests every two weeks continuously.  85% of the principals worried whether there was any legal justification to request teachers and staff to take virus tests.  82% opined that parents, staff and the school management might have different views. 51% worried that it would increase the risk of cross infection in the school premises.

 

5. Other opinions

Below were the other opinions from 69 principals:

• Anti-pandemic measures should be based on scientific data and professional advice. The planning and arrangements for such measures should be made through thorough communication and with respect.
• During the pandemic, students’ health should be our first priority. The arrangements for resumption of face-to-face classes without scientific justification and medical experts’ advice will put students’ health and safety at risk.
• Whether schools could have full resumption of face-to-face classes should depend on the situation of the pandemic and not whether staff would take virus tests. Besides, the resources for virus test should be used on the groups which have the greatest need.
• The risk of students infecting one another was much higher than that of teachers and staff infecting students.
• Arranging full resumption of face-to-face classes at present might increase the risk of cross infection in the school premises. This would subsequently affect the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) to be held later.
• Different bodies had reflected that it was inappropriate to implement this policy for schools in general, but it was disappointing that the EDB did not accept any opinion or make any amendment.
• During the pandemic and school suspension, teachers and staff did not suspend work. On the contrary, they did their best to maintain student learning and cater for students’ needs.  They are the group who want to have full resumption of face-to face classes the most.  No other groups than education practitioners would hope to have students and teachers seeing and interacting with one another in schools every day.  We are not worried about being infected or shouldering responsibility.  What we worry are Hong Kong’s fight against the pandemic, our students and colleagues.
• It is absolutely unreasonable for the EDB to make regular virus tests as the criterion for full resumption of face-to-face classes. This will put the school management in a very difficult situation when making a decision, which may eventually not be able to satisfy the wish of different stakeholders.
• “Further Option” would get the school caught in the middle of confrontation amongst different stakeholders who hold different views and this will pose a lot of difficulties for school administration.
• The “Further Option” for whole-school’s full resumption of face-to-face classes actually splits the different stakeholders, which is the opposite of the spirit of uniting Hong Kong citizens to fight against the pandemic at this critical time.
• We hope the EDB can listen to different opinions and suggestions, and will not be hard-headed.
  

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香港中學校長會
「就農曆年假後的復課安排」資料收集結果

 

香港中學校長會於2月6日至8日，就農曆年假後的復課安排向本會會員蒐集資料，短短3日內收到338所中學回覆，佔全港中學逾7成，反映校長們對是項政策非常關注。

 

「就農曆年假後的復課安排」資料收集結果：

 

1. 在教育局早前提供的「特定群組冠狀病毒免費檢測服務」中，貴校能否達到100%參與？

96%校長表示，在教育局早前提供的特定群組冠狀病毒免費檢測服務中，學校未能達到100%參與。

2. 貴校將會如何安排農曆年假後的半天面授課堂？

94%中學表示農曆年假後，每日安排不多於全校三分之一學生回校。至於會安排全校教職員定期進行病毒檢測，以讓全校恢復面授課堂，共有9所中學，約3%。

3. 就教育局提出「個別學校的額外選擇」，貴校會否向教職員進行定期病毒檢測的意向調查？

34%表示不會向教職員進行定期病毒檢測的意向調查，25%表示會進行意向調查，41%則未能確定。

4. 在考慮學校是否符合「額外選擇」條件下全校全面復課時，貴校有以下的疑慮嗎？（可選多於一項）

絕大部分校長對教育局提出的「額外選擇」有多方面的疑慮。最多校長(89%)對「100%教職員可否持續每兩星期進行檢測」抱有疑問，85%疑慮「學校是否有法理基礎要求教職員進行檢測」，82%認為「家長、教職員、管理層意見不同」，51%「擔心會增加校園交叉感染的風險」。

5. 其他意見

69 位校長提出其他意見，摘錄如下：

• 防疫措施須以科學為根、專業為本、溝通為上、尊重為念去策劃、去安排；
• 疫情下學生的健康應為首要考慮，沒有專家意見及科學證據支持的復課安排，反而是罔顧了學生的安全問題；
• 校園能否重開應由疫情決定，而非員工檢測與否。再者，檢測資源應用於有需要的群組；
• 學生的交叉感染風險遠高於由教職員傳染給學生的風險；
• 現在開放全面復課的可能會否增加交叉感染風險，影響之後香港中學文憑考試(DSE)的進行；
• 不同團體多方反映政策在普遍學校並不適合可行，但局方似乎並無接受意見或有任何修訂，令學界十分失望；
• 學校教職員在疫情期間停課沒停工，努力維持學生學習和成長需要，最想全面復課，沒有人比教育工作者更期望，更想能和學生老師天天見面和相處。我們不是怕染疫，我們不是怕承責，我們擔心是全港防疫情況、我們學生和我們的同事；
• 教育局絕不合理將全校職工及老師每兩星期檢測作為學校全校面授課的選擇條件，令學校管理層處於困境下去作決定，可能未能符合各持分者的意願；
• 「額外選擇」有機會讓學校成為不同意見持分者的「磨心」，亦製造大量行政困難；
• 「額外選擇」全校全面復課政策實際上分化不同持份者，與抗疫關鍵時刻必須團結大多數市民的精神相違背；
• 希望教育局從善如流，不要一意孤行！

 

2021年2月9日