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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1990
TO
OF PRIMARY SEND
THEIR
REFERRING TO THE CASE WHEREBY PARENTS OF A GROUP ONE STUDENTS IN LONG PING ESTATE, YUEN LONG REFUSED CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS ORIGINALLY LOCATED ΤΟ THEM, MR YEUNG SAID RESIDENTS OF LONG PING ESTATE WERE SERVED BY THREE SITUATED WITHIN THE ESTATE, AND BY OTHER PRIMARY OUTSIDE THE ESTATE BUT WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS SCHOOLS LOCATED
HOWEVER, COMPLAINTS AROSE THIS SUMMER WHEN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ALLOCATED TO 110 CHILDREN LIVING IN LONG PING ESTATE PRIMARY ONE PLACES IN SCHOOLS LOCATED IN THE ADJACENT YUEN LONG ESTATE IN SPITE OF VACANCIES WITHIN THE LONG PING ESTATE SCHOOLS.
THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TOOK THIS STEP PARTLY BECAUSE LONG PING ESTATE WAS EXPECTING A FURTHER INTAKE OF 500 FAMILIES AT THE END OF NEXT YEAR AND CONSIDERED IT PRUDENT TO SET PLACES ASIDE FOR THEIR CHILDREN, AND PARTLY BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS IN THE ADJACENT YUEN LONG ESTATE WERE UNDER-ENROLLED.
F
A
"HOWEVER, MR YEUNG SAID, "OSTENSIBLY BECAUSE THIS ALLOCATION WOULD INVOLVE THE 110 CHILDREN OF LONG PING ESTATE HAVING TO TRAVEL DISTANCE OF AT LEAST 700 METRES, THE PARENTS COMPLAINED.“
'I SAID OSTENSIBLY BECAUSE IT IS ALSO POSSIBLE THAT PARENTS REGARD THE TWO SCHOOLS IN THE ADJACENT YUEN LONG ESTATE TO SOMEWHAT INFERIOR," HE ADDED.
THE
BE.
THE
THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY REPRESENTATIONS MADE BY PARENTS то DISTRICT BOARD, THE OMELCO, THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AND TO THE GOVERNOR.
AFTER FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT + PARENTS OF 67 CHILDREN ACCEPTED THE DEPARTMENT'S ALLOCATION, WHILE THE REMAINING 43 REFUSED TO SEND THEIR CHILDREN TO SCHOOL.
FACED WITH THESE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR, MR YEUNG SAID THE DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THE REMAINING CHILDREN COULD BE ACCOMMODATED IN THE LONG PING ESTATE SCHOOLS AND, SECONDLY, WHETHER BY CONVERTING CERTAIN GENERAL PURPOSE ROOMS THE CHILDREN OF THE EXPECTED INTAKE OF FAMILIES INTO THE ESTATE COULD ALSO BE ACCOMMODATED.
AVOID
THIS WAS DONE IN ORDER ΤΟ CHILDREN WERE KEPT AWAY FROM SCHOOL CONFRONTATION, MR YEUNG ADDED.
A SITUATION IN WHICH THE AND NOT TO PROLONG THE
"UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE THE SCHOOL SUPERVISORS WERE AWAY ON VACATION, IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR THAT A FINAL DECISION COULD BE TAKEN TO PLACE THE 43 CHILDREN IN ONE OF THE LONG PING ESTATE SCHOOLS.
"FOLLOWING THIS, A FURTHER 13 CHILDREN ACCEPTED AN OFFER BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO TAKE UP PRIMARY ONE PLACES IN ANOTHER SCHOOL IN LONG PING ESTATE,
HE SAID.
/MR YEUNG