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Guidelines for organising outdoor school activities
Following is a question by the Hon Choy Kan-pui and a written reply by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
A group of teachers and students from the Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School in Ma On Shan, Shatinwere struck by encountered a hill fire when they went were hiking in the Pak Sin Leng Country Park, which resulted in over 10 casualties. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
Reply:
(a)
(b)
Mr President.
(a)
whether the Education Department has a comprehensive set of guidelines for organising extra-curricular activities; if so, whether the guidelines contain safety and contingency measures; and
whether the Education Department will consider citing the acts of the teachers who sacrificed their lives to save the students in this incident as a role model example in its future promotion of civic education?
The Education Department issues a school circular annually to all schools advising them on the general safety precautions including administrative procedures in organising outdoor activities to ensure the safety of students. The Education Department also issues information pamphlets containing specific guidelines on safety precautions and measures to cope with emergencies on subject related outdoor activities such as physical education, geography and biology.
Following the recent hill fire tragedy, the Education Department has set in train a review of guidelines to schools on outdoor extra-curricular activities. A working group is being formed to examine the matter comprehensively and to produce fuller guidelines with additional practical information to help school heads and teachers plan and conduct such activities. We aim to have these guidelines ready before the next school year.