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Angel Woo

Parents of pupils attending a new Hong Kong government school with unfinished construction projects expressed concern over safety on the first day of the new academic year on Monday, with the principal saying it was unclear when the work would be finished.
They also raised concerns about poor transport connections for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area on Anderson Road in Kwun Tong district and has started running classes.
The school campus was still under construction right before the start of the new term.
A Post reporter visited the site on Monday and saw scaffolding covered with green shed netting along the school’s exterior walls. Some of the ground-floor rooms remained incomplete, with sand still covering the ground.
A parent who gave her name as Lam said she had noticed the school’s music, computer and multimedia rooms were still unfurnished while taking a tour given by the principal.
A man surnamed Lam, the father of a Primary Three student at the school, said he felt concerned about his child’s safety due to the building work.
“But the school assured us that the construction work will not be carried out when students are in school, so we felt a bit more at ease,” he said.
Lam said he chose the school for his child because the family planned to move into a nearby residential project that was still not completed.
“We are still living in Tseung Kwan O now, and it takes around half an hour to come here. The transport is quite inconvenient,” he said, adding that only a few transport options were available.
Another parent, surnamed Yau, said she hoped more bus routes would open.
Yau said her family was set to move into the new development, adding that she was currently renting a subdivided flat in Kwun Tong district, so it was more convenient for her child to travel to school.
“I really hope the school could provide school bus services, as it is very inconvenient to come here. We left home a bit earlier today, but we were still late,” she said.

School principal Chan Kwok-keung said he could not provide a definite answer for when the construction would be completed.
“Our first concern, other than teaching, is the safety of our students. So we will not allow any risk to happen,” he said, adding that the construction areas were not close to classrooms.
Chan also sought to address transport concerns, saying the Education Bureau had already communicated with the Transport Department about increasing the frequency of bus services.
“We cannot provide school bus services at the moment as we do not have enough students who need the services. We will continue to communicate with parents on this matter,” he said.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin said the progress of the construction works had been affected by bad weather, which saw the city issue five black rainstorm signals recently.
Choi said her bureau had sent experts to inspect the school to ensure it was safe.
“The school has six classes this year, and so far I believe everything is going smoothly,” she said.
Chan said the school was running one class for each grade and transfer interviews would be arranged gradually.
Meanwhile, traffic in the city was heavier than usual on Monday but transport had remained efficient for the first day of the school year, a government official said.
Liu Chun-shan, acting secretary for transport and logistics, also said cross-boundary students had managed to travel to schools smoothly.
The Transport Department deployed about 110 staff for on-site monitoring of traffic conditions at major interchanges, MTR stations and school areas.
The department urged the public to pay attention to traffic news and familiarise themselves with public transport routes.
A mental health expert reminded parents that the period between the end of the summer holidays and October was usually the peak season for students coming forward to seek help because of the start of the school year.
Clinical psychologist Dr Mandy Lissillour Chan Hsiao said that children could develop stress or anxiety from more demanding studies or relationships with schoolmates, especially when they started a new school, with students worrying about loneliness or being ostracised.
“Sometimes children’s emotions can cause symptoms such as stomachaches or nausea,” she told a radio programme.
“It could also be sleep problems such as insomnia or having nightmares, or skipping school to avoid certain activities.”
She added that scheduling time for rest, learning and fun was important so that they got used to their rhythm and that it was also crucial to stay open-minded, especially when in a new environment and meeting new people.
Additional reporting by Ambrose Li


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Hong Kong

Education

Families also raise concerns about poor transport links for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area


Families also raise concerns about poor transport links for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area.


Hong Kong society

Unfinished construction works at Hong Kong school trigger safety concerns

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Families also raise concerns about poor transport links for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area

Families also raise concerns about poor transport links for Erudite Government Primary School, which is located in a new development area