500 pupils affected by Hong Kong fire resume classes at university this week
Tai Po Baptist Public School pupils studying in temporary classrooms at Education University, with support from teachers, psychologists
About 500 primary school pupils affected by the deadly fire in Tai Po started learning again this week in makeshift classrooms at a university in the same district, with the children settling back into normal study routines.
John Lee Chi-kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU), said on Friday that the institution had converted its gymnasium and activity rooms into about 10 temporary classrooms to accommodate affected schools.
The number of primary school pupils attending classes at the campus was 300 at the start of the week but had increased to 500 by Friday, he said.
The university said that, so far, all the primary students learning at the campus were from Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS).
“For the pupils, it is a good experience to study on a university campus, and many have happily told me that they have made up their minds to attend university,” TPBPS supervisor Tsang Ka-shek said.
He added that the school was making plans to transfer its students to two primary schools in the district in mid-December.