Class delight as Kwun Tong school passes jab hurdle

Carine Chow

About 240 Secondary Six students at Delia Memorial School (Hip Wo) in Kwun Tong were the first to resume full-day classes on campus after notching a 74 percent vaccine uptake.

Schools with a 70 percent vaccination rate for its teachers and students are allowed to resume full-day classes.

Secondary Six students who returned to the Kwun Tong campus for full-day classes yesterday said the resumption will allow them to better prepare for public exams.

A student surnamed Ip, who has received two Sinovac jabs, said he was nervous about having full-day classes, but added it was necessary as there was insufficient lesson time and teachers' guidance during half-day classes.

"Because of the pandemic, I was falling behind in many of my subjects," he said. "As I am attending full-day lessons now, this means there will be more learning time for me."

Another student, Aaron, who got BioNTech jabs three months ago, said it will be better to study with his classmates.

"It's about time that we had normal classes. I'm sure everyone is excited about it. It's easier to study with teachers and students around you than at home. At home you get distracted," he said.

Another student who has received two Sinovac jabs said he had looked forward to the resumption of full-day teaching for a long time as it can help him prepare for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination.

"While I could study in the afternoon when I was having half-day classes, the learning atmosphere in school is better," he said, adding he can concentrate more when studying with a group of classmates.

Principal Lam Yim-ling said she is optimistic that more than 70 percent of the school's whole population will be vaccinated. Currently, the rate among students from lower years is lower than that of seniors.

About 200 students took part in an outreach vaccination service for the school in July and most of them were from senior years, Lam said.

She said the school had sent out questionnaires asking for opinions on full-day lessons and "for older students, they have not been enjoying their school life - since Secondary Four - due to the pandemic."

Lam said the school will still have to work on how students can have lunch at school, adding it has set up around 130 partitioned seats for them.

Meanwhile, Secondary Six students at Heung To Secondary School (Tseung Kwan O) will also return to campus for full-day classes on September 23. Principal Lawrence Tang Fei said the school is also set to allow students from other levels who are fully vaccinated to attend extra-curricular activities on campus in the afternoon.

"However, not every member of the school teams is fully vaccinated," he said. "The school must handle this properly to avoid discrimination against the unvaccinated."

The Education Bureau has received five applications from secondary schools which have seen more than 70 percent of fully vaccinated Secondary Five or Secondary Six students, Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said on Facebook.

As of September 3, some 92 percent of teaching staff and 51 percent of students aged 12 or above in Hong Kong had received at least one dose.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com