'Higher Vaccination Rate For In-person Learning'

The government is said to be mulling a higher vaccination requirement for students for face-to-face classes to resume, but an education policy concern group has expressed reservations about it.

The Education Bureau earlier said schools can apply to restart full-day in-person classes if 70 percent of their students and staff have received two doses of vaccine.

Sources said on Tuesday the bureau is considering raising that requirement to 90 percent.

“This is acceptable for the relatively senior classes in secondary schools because those students at or above the age of 12 tend to be more accepting towards vaccination,” said Mervyn Cheung, the chairman of the Hong Kong Education Policy Concern Organisation.

Cheung believes secondary schools would be able to meet a 90 percent vaccination requirement, but it'll be a different story for primary schools as the vaccination rate for that age group is much lower.

“Also considering their age, parents may be more hesitant in allowing their children to receive vaccination,” he explained.

"How will schools which are not able to secure this high percentage from the students on vaccination [be treated]? Will some of them not be able to fully resume face-to-face teaching and learning? Now in that case students studying at those schools will be at a disadvantage,” he said.

Meanwhile, the honorary chairman of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, Langton Cheung, said a higher vaccination requirement should take into consideration those youngsters who are unable to get jabbed.

He said about 10 percent of students have caught Covid during this wave of infections, which made them ineligible for vaccination for now.

He also pointed out that some parents may not want their children to attend in-person teaching yet, out of concerns about infection risks.

The Education Bureau said it will consider allowing more flexibility for schools with higher vaccination rates to arrange learning activities, and will announce more details when appropriate.