However, although the children are not required by law to attend school, teachers reported that absenteeism is not a major problem. Among the children there is a natural eagerness to learn, which does not seem to apply to the adults.
The camp schools are not registered under the Education Ordinance, and it is generally accepted that they would not meet the minimum standards for registration. We noted the anomaly that, while refugee children study in sub-standard schools, registered primary schools in Hong Kong are reporting a surplus of places.
There are serious noise problems at the school in Hei Ling Chau, because the various classrooms are separated only by thin plywood panels which do not reach the roof. A teacher at Chi Ma Wan told us that the school had no maps or pictures of other countries to show the children. The school at Jubilee acquired English textbooks only when some visiting American navy sailors had a whip-round to pay for them. At Cape Collinson, the classrooms were very noisy and the school library consisted of a single cupboard.
In almost every camp we were told that the schools lacked adequate teaching materials in both Vietnamese and English, particularly for older children. There is also a shortage of adequately educated Vietnamese from whom to recruit
teachers.
The schools are mainly geared to provide four hours education per day for children aged from five to 16, although we also saw lively pre-school playgroups. When children have completed the courses provided in camp schools they are ready to move on to further education - but they cannot. At this point, the legal restrictions on refugees attending schools and other educational institutions are enforced.
We asked about adult refugees (i.e. those aged 16 and above) in open camps who wish to attend courses of further education in Hong Kong and are able to pay the course fees themselves. We were told that this was 'discouraged'.
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