School Fails In Appeal Over New Primary One Class Ban

A primary school in Kennedy Town said on Thursday that education officials have rejected its appeal against a decision not to allow it to take in primary one students in the next academic year.

St. Charles School is among at least three in the city that have been told they can't operate new primary one classes after failing to attract the required minimum of 16 pupils.

The 69-year-old primary has 12 classes this academic year, with two for each grade.

Its principal Li Wing-kai said the Education Bureau first informed the school in late March that it has fallen one short of the 16 children needed for a class.

He said the school told the bureau that a current student's sibling failed to enrol in time due to the border closure amid the Covid pandemic, but this has failed to change the officials' minds.

"At first, the bureau said it would consider [our request]. But after we had multiple exchanges and appealed at last, officials said based on the current mechanism, because the enrolment deadline has passed, our special situation could not be taken into consideration," Li said.

"We were notified of the Education Bureau's final decision on May 2, which meant our appeal was not accepted. We are disappointed and frustrated."

Li said there are no plans to close the school or merge with another.

Two other schools also denied permission to take in primary one students are CCC Cheung Chau Church Kam Kong Primary School and Po Yan Oblate Primary School.

The Cheung Chau school said it has applied to operate a private primary one class for the new academic year, which would be funded by its sponsoring body - a church on the island under the Church of Christ in China (CCC).

The sponsor is planning to subsidise incoming pupils until they finish their junior primary education, it added.

The Education Bureau is expected to respond to the school's request later this month.