The influx of mainland cross-border children has displaced many local schoolchildren from their own school district.
These local young learners face a long commute to and from school and this wastes a lot of time. It means they have less time to revise, rest and play. This takes a toll on their schoolwork and their health.
One suggestion put forward was for a new school district to be established for the mainland pupils.
The government has said it will consider the possibility of opening schools across the border. I do not think it would be plausible to open schools outside Hong Kong to satisfy such a volatile demand that is dependent on mainland parentsˇ personal choice.
Some day there will be no more cross-border pupils and these campuses will no longer be needed.
It would be a waste of taxpayersˇ money to acquire school campuses to satisfy a large but transient demand for primary schools.
Also, building more local campuses might not be sensible. There might be some uncertainty about eligibility of some children.
If the Basic Law was amended so that children born here of mainland mothers were not regarded as residents, then Hong Kong would no longer have a duty to provide them with an education.
I think the best solution would be staggered times. Pupils living outside the city would be scheduled for afternoon and evening schools.
This would mean they would not have to get up early
in the morning. They would be going to the same campus as local children, but at different times.
This would ensure that existing campuses were fully utilised and these children would not be competing for places with local pupils. I see this as a financially prudent win-win solution for all.
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