TNAG-1788-FCO40-2548-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-refugees-general-1988 — Page 4

A table of physical facilities of the refugee schools is at Annex C. None of the school buildings was purpose-built, nor do they have laboratories

laboratories equipped for science classes. Only the New Horizon School in Kai Tak has a cookery room. Each school has an audio-visual room and limited language laboratories are being developed. All refugee schools have playgrounds for physical education. In Tuen Mun Closed Centre the children have the exclusive use of a grass football pitch. The size of each class varies with resettlement and, in the case of the closed centres, the rate of arrivals. Because the number of minors in each centre is small, classes rarely exceed 25 students. To make maximum use of the classrooms, the closed centre schools follow local practice and operate two

operate two sessions per day providing an average of four and-a-half-hours of schooling daily for each student. School holidays generally follow those of local schools.

17

Since it is important that Vietnamese children be taught to read and write

write in their own language and since Vietnamese is the medium of instruction in many subjects, the voluntary agencies employ refugee teachers in addition to their own teachers. The numbers of refugee and non-refugee teachers in each centre is set out at Annex D broken down into those with and without teaching qualifications. None of the Vietnamese teachers has a teaching qualification; the most qualified has reached a secondary education level only. Well-qualified teachers are taken up quickly by the resettlement countries. Because of this shortage of trained teachers, quality is hard to maintain.

The position of schools Education Ordinance

18

in open

and closed

closed centres under the

The Education Ordinance (Chapter 279) sets out the provisions regulating schools in Hong Kong. Section 10(1) requires that every school shall be registered or provisionally registered. Before registering a school the Director of Education must be satisfied that the premises are suitable, and with the qualifications and experience of

experience of the teachers. The Director may refuse to register a school on the grounds set out in Section 14(1) (see Annex E).

19

its

the

for

and

the

As refugee centre schools fall within the definition of 'school' in the Ordinance, they are subject to provisions. The Director of Education considers that refugee centre schools do not satisfy the requirements registration in particular because the qualifications experience of most teachers are inadequate. None of refugee schools has ever been

been registered under the Education Ordinance; nor have they been formally exempted.