- Children who attended online lessons during the pandemic face adjustment problems when in-person lessons resume in February
- Most of the 21,000 cross-border students have not seen their classmates and teachers for three years
Most of Hong Kong’s 21,000 cross-border students have not seen their classmates and teachers in person for three years. Photo: Winson WongThousands of children who live in mainland China and attend school in Hong Kong will return to campus for the first time in three years, leading to worry among parents and teachers.
After disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong government has said these students could resume face-to-face lessons next month, with secondary pupils starting on February 1 and primary and kindergarten children on February 15.
Parents and teachers have called for a range of support services for children who may face adjustment problems, now that pandemic travel restrictions have been removed and they can return to their schools.
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There are almost 21,000 cross-border students and they comprise 7,000 secondary, 13,000 primary and 900 kindergarten students. They are mostly from Shenzhen, in neighbouring Guangdong province, and attend schools mainly in North district, Tai Po and Yuen Long in the New Territories.
Only a quarter stayed in Hong Kong during the pandemic, while the majority remained with their families on the mainland and attended classes online since 2020.
Fung Hang-ling, a teacher responsible for the 100 cross-border students at CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School in Tai Po, expected them to face difficulties adapting to campus life.
She said online lessons had left many struggling to keep up with their studies, and more than a dozen repeated their grade last year, including some who had asked to repeat the year themselves.
The school will help the cross-border students with their studies and adapting to campus life, but Fung said she hoped the Hong Kong and mainland governments could help too.
She said the authorities could speed up the processing of the students’ travel document applications and provide them and their families with free phone cards so that parents could be in touch with their children easily.
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Homemaker Xu Liang-fang, 41, whose 10-year-old son is in Primary Five at HHCKLA Buddhist Chan Shi Wan Primary School in Sheung Shui, said the boy had not seen his classmates in person for three years.
“I am excited for him but also concerned, even though he is a top student,” she said. “I’m afraid he won’t adapt to face-to-face teaching mode or get along with local students due to the culture gap.”
An only child, the boy stayed with his parents in Shenzhen and had not been to Hong Kong since the pandemic began.
Xu said she hoped cross-border children like her son would have one-on-one counselling to help them adjust.
They had received little help from the authorities on both sides of the border over the past three years, though there was support from NGOs, she added.
“I really hope the children will get more attention and care,” she said.
Wendy Zhou, 40, and her husband moved to Hong Kong with their only child in 2021 and rented a flat near the girl’s school in Kowloon City so she could attend in-person classes.
Now that border restrictions have been removed, the family intends to move back to Shenzhen in July. The girl, now 12 and in Form One, will resume commuting across the border to school.
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“We adults need to earn a living, we can’t afford to stay in Hong Kong longer,” Zhou said.
She added that she hoped the government would look into providing the cross-border children transport subsidies too.
Mui Ho-kay, principal of CCC Fung Leung Kit Memorial Secondary School, said many cross-border families faced financial hardship throughout the pandemic and hoped the Hong Kong government could help them.
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Homemaker Lai Huixia, 38, whose 11-year-old son is in Primary Six at a school in Fanling, suggested school bus services mainly for younger pupils could be extended to secondary students too.
Her son, an only child, lived at home in Shenzhen during the pandemic and will start secondary school later this year.
Lai said she hoped he would be able to continue taking the school transport, with a “bus nanny” on board.
“I am concerned that he isn’t capable of going to school by himself yet,” she said.
The government could also designate a special checkpoint for students crossing the border daily, Lai added.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin earlier this month said her bureau would continue to provide support to cross-border students through schools and NGOs to help them adapt to campus life.
Most of the 21,000 cross-border students did not see their classmates and teachers in person during the pandemic. Photo: Winson Wong; An empty classroom in Sheng Kung Hui Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School. Photo: Robert Ng; Primary pupils return to full-day lessons after classes were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Elson Li