- Principal at Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School says 30-minute cutback to class time has been ‘surprisingly welcomed’ by parents
- Reduced teaching time gives students more flexibility to balance homework with other interests, according to some educators and parents
Some primary schools in Hong Kong are reducing class time to give children greater flexibility in pursuing non-academic interests. Photo: Xiaomei ChenSome primary schools in Hong Kong have decided to end classes early to give students more time to develop their own interests, noting how children were able to pursue other activities when half-day teaching was adopted during the coronavirus pandemic.
So Ping-fai, the principal of Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School, one of the institutions ending classes at 2.45pm instead of 3.15pm, told the SCMP that parents had “surprisingly welcomed” the move.
“They think they can have more quality time with their kids and … let them have enough time for extracurricular activities,” he said. “It gives more flexibility to parents, as they can offer kids various training and learning activities, even though it is just half an hour.”
The move was inspired by the parent of a Primary One pupil who teaches at the school and said half-day classes during the pandemic had allowed his child to take part in more activities in the afternoon and have quality time with family in the evening.
Recalling a staff meeting to discuss the resumption of full-day classes in December, So said: “The teacher said his child’s schedule was fully packed after the resumption of full-day classes. He even lamented that his child did not even have any time or freedom to daydream or hang around.
“His sentiment really touched our hearts and drove us to reflect.”
The principal said the school’s management had initially worried parents would oppose the move, explaining that families might want more support in taking care of their children in relatively poor areas such as Tin Shui Wai.
But a poll by the school of about 300 parents found more than half backed the idea, about a quarter were neutral and less than 20 per cent opposed it.
“We did not expect such a high proportion of parents to support our idea,” So said, adding that parents who opposed the idea had expressed concerns they might not be able to collect their children at an earlier time or they wanted them to remain longer at school.
The principal said he reassured concerned parents the campus would remain open until 5.30pm, with pupils allowed to join in play, reading or homework guidance sessions after classes ended.
So noted the reason whole-day teaching was introduced at primary schools in 1993 was to allow pupils to finish their homework on campus. But many schools could no longer ensure this was the case, due to longer lesson times and an increase in homework loads, he said.
The amount of homework was also a source of stress for pupils, with some who woke up at 7am only managing to finish it at 7pm, leaving them less than two hours before bedtime, the principal said.
“It is very difficult to say students in Hong Kong are living in a healthy style,” he added.
At the Yaumati Catholic Primary School’s Hoi Wang Road campus, classes now ended at 3.10pm instead of the previous 2.45pm, according to principal Polly Chan Suk-yee.
“Parents also support this new initiative, as it can leave more time for students to rest and get their homework done before they go to tutorial classes and different learning activities arranged by parents,” she said. “It is really unhealthy for students to stay up until 11pm or midnight to finish their homework. Their schedules are really packed.”
Over at Tin Shui Wai Methodist Primary School, Chan Pui-shan, the mother of Primary Three pupil Hebe Lau Yee-pui, said she was “very supportive” of the shortened learning time as it gave her daughter a more relaxed schedule.
Chan also said she had found half-day teaching during the pandemic suited her, as well.
“I think it is good for me too as I will not be exhausted by continually urging my daughter to get things done quickly, with less conflict emerging between us as a result,” she said.
The stay-at-home mother added her daughter now had more time to relax or complete her homework before attending tutoring classes, practising ballet or playing basketball.
Eight-year-old Hebe also chimed in, adding with a smile: “I can now go home earlier and have more time to play with my younger brother and study.”
All about Hong Kong’s exodus of teachers
Vivian Kai Sze-wan, mother of Primary Six pupil Hussain Mahmoud, who studies at the same school, said her son no longer needed to rush off to tutorial sessions after finishing classes.
“He now has sufficient rest time and can eat some snacks before going out for tutorial sessions,” she said. “In the past, he just went out in a rush.”
An Education Bureau spokesman said it had noted some schools had “temporarily amended” their timetables when whole-day, in-person classes resumed to suit their own needs, but he did not specify how many institutions had opted for reduced learning times.
Education authorities would also provide suggestions and guidance regarding the arrangement, he added, but stopped short of providing further details.