Summer holiday starts early for Hong Kong students

The Summer break for school kids around Hong Kong has started four months earlier than usual. The government announced the closure at the start of the fifth wave of the Covid pandemic in order to avoid students cramming onto campuses.

The government said earlier that at least 400 schools will be used as Covid testing centres.

But school is supposed to resume after the Easter holidays, with the academic year ending on Aug. 12.

Sammi Lam Wing-yan, 45, is a mother of a 12-year-old and a 6-year-old.

“My original plan was to take a few weeks off in July and August to accompany my kids,” said Lam. “But I am unable to apply for leave this month and need to find someone else to take care of my kids during the daytime.”

Law Fung-sim, a kindergarten teacher, said the arrangement hinders the learning ability of preschoolers.

“Kindergarten children need more social interaction to train their language and their basic knowledge. Online learning is not an ideal way to teach,” she said. “The sudden suspension of class is definitely not good since young children are forgetful and should constantly review concepts to consolidate their knowledge.”

Joseph Law Kin-dat, a primary school teacher, said the sudden change of schedule affects students’ academic performance.

“We can’t look after them outside school.oSome of them are unable to study on their own during the holidays,” said Law.

“The only thing we can do is to leave the important lessons for now and teach them after the Easter holiday. Hopefully face-to-face classes will be allowed by then,” he said.