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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
(b) Confirm if there are 800 or more vacant primary school places in this estate; if the number exceeds 600, what is the estimated number of vacant primary school places in this estate: What is the reason therefor?
(c) How many secondary schools are there in this estate? Is it the intention of Government to build soon a secondary or vocational school in this estate?
(d) How many medical clinics are in this estate; what is Government's intentions in the provision of medical clinics in this estate?
THE COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT replied as follows:-
This question concerns educational and medical facilities in Ham Tin Estate.
No space has been allocated for kindergartens in this estate. As I stated in a reply to a question at the last meeting of the Council, Mark IV blocks, which is the type of construction in this estate, cannot be readily converted for kindergarten purposes. The whole question of provision of kindergartens in the new estates is being examined and a paper on the subject has been issued to members of the Resettlement Policy Select Committee.
5 primary schools with 10,800 places have opened in this estate and there are at present 3,500 vacancies. According to the agreed ratio of primary school places to population, the present population of 45,000 people requires 9,000 primary places and there is therefore an excess of 1,800 places. Moreover the estate is developing and a period of adjustment is required before the school population settles down and children are fitted in to their appropriate classes. It may be significant that more than a third of the existing vacancies are in a school that was only opened towards the end of last year. A monthly list of schools and vacancies is posted at the Estate Office and all incoming tenants are advised of the current position by the estates staff.
There are no secondary schools in this estate. Four sites have been reserved for secondary schools in the immediate vicinity of the estate for the general benefit of the population of the area. Of these sites two have already been recommended for grant-in-aided bodies, one for a girl's school and one for a boy's school, providing together approximately 1,800 places. A Government technical school for boys is to be built in Kwun Tong as was announced recently by the Director of Education.
Sites for Low Cost Medical Clinics, to be run by registered doctors, will be made available at the ratio of one clinic for each 6,000 of the population. 3 such clinics have already been allocated and sites for two more have been offered but not yet allocated. When these sites are taken up further sites will be made available for allocation.
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MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Mr. Chairman, can the Commissioner for Resettlement make a survey of how many children of primary school age are not going to school in this particular estate and let me have these figures whenever he can?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- That is rather a tall order but I will certainly look into it and see if there's a possibility. What you are asking for is the number of children in the estate who do not go to primary school?
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- Of primary school age who are not going school.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- I'll see if I can find that information.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN:- I believe he can Mr. Chairman, because the predecessor of our present very efficient Commissioner did also carry out a survey of all the estates and I think that was done in a very short time.
MRS. ELLIOTT:- Mr. Chairman, may I ask if the whole problem of providing kindergartens in resettlement estates could be referred to the Resettlement Policy Select Committee?
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- It is being done, in fact as I've stated the paper has already been issued.
DR. BELL:- Mr. Chairman, in connection with vacancies in the primary schools, would it be possible for the Commissioner to find out how many children are actually wanting to go to these primary schools but are turned down because they failed their examinations—their "entrance examination", and these are only primary one children aged 6.
COMMISSIONER FOR RESETTLEMENT:- Yes—I’m afraid I can't answer that one. I'll certainly see if it is possible but I simply don't know the machinery or anything else about it.
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