School Principals Concerned About Frequent Testing

A survey of more than 300 secondary school principals shows that most of them are concerned over the requirement for teachers to get regular coronavirus tests, and half of them are worried a resumption of face-to-face classes will increase the risk of cross-infections.

The poll of 338 principals, conducted by the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools between Saturday and Monday, was released on Tuesday just hours after Chief Executive Carrie Lam said classes will gradually resume after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Education Bureau had earlier urged teachers to get tested every fortnight, although education minister Kevin Yeung later explained that whether schools can fully reopen depend on the overall pandemic situation, rather than whether teachers are tested.

According to the survey, many principals are still worried over the idea of regular testing for teachers, with 85 percent of the respondents questioning whether schools have the legal basis to order teachers to get tested.

Nine out of 10 school heads also doubted whether teachers would be able to get tested once every two weeks.

"No one wants more than educators to resume classes, and we want students and teachers to see each other everyday. We are not worried about being infected, and we are not afraid of shouldering responsibilities, but we are worried about the overall pandemic situation in Hong Kong, and about our students and colleagues," one of them said.

Some principals also told the association that they are worried any outbreaks at schools would affect the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examinations in April and May.

Schools have been closed since December 2, with only a sixth of each school’s students allowed back at any one time for no more than half a day.