Return of field trips falls short of expectations

Secondary schools will require students to attend mandatory field trips to the mainland from April, but the itinerary has been scaled down from a previous iteration, with destinations limited to Guangdong province.

Parents and pro-Beijing educators were quick to criticize the Education Bureau's decision to confine the trips to Guangdong and shorten the duration.

The initial proposal included 21 trips to Fujian, Hunan and Guizhou, apart from Guangdong, lasting two to five days.

A total of 22 trips for secondary four and five students from April - for the compulsory citizenship and social development subject - were listed in a letter addressed to secondary schools citywide.

They comprised eight one-day tours, six two-day tours and eight three-day tours, all to Guangdong.

The updated tour itinerary includes visits to the Liwan Museum in Guangzhou and the Reform and Opening Exhibition Hall at the Shenzhen Museum.

A day tour to the Dongjiang Column Memorial Hall will focus on the anti-Japanese resistance and the importance of national security, including a visit to the Museum of Cantonese Opera Art.

Students will learn that maintaining "cultural security" is a key foundation for maintaining "national and ethnic unity."

A two-day Macau tour includes a visit to the Golden Lotus Square, to learn about the significance of the handover of the region.

Mainland study tours are fully subsidized, including accommodation, transportation and travel insurance.

Students who requests to withdraw from a trip must pay the tour fee and any additional expenses.

Financial assistance may still be granted if students have a medical certificate or are unable to depart as scheduled for other reasons.

The bureau said the ratio of students to teachers on the tour must be 10 to one and that a one-time arrangement will be introduced this year for one or two teachers to apply for a fully funded spot with secondary five students.

Schools are required to submit applications by e-mail or fax to the student mainland exchange program section of the EDB by March 1.

A one-day trip is too short to benefit students, said Hong Kong Federation and Education Workers chairman Wong Kam-leung. He said an ideal field trip to Guangdong should be three days and two nights so students can better experience and understand the country.

But Wong said he understands the time is short for preparation and that mainland flights and other supporting facilities are not complete.

Most parents are reluctant to send their children as they said "the trip is too short and meaningless."

Meanwhile, education sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung said many students were unable to make appointments on China Travel Services for a mainland travel permit renewal as the booking was full.

Chu said the trip would be postponed to summer if they miss the Easter holiday, which could affect secondary five students who need to prepare for the DSE.

He submitted a letter to the bureau urging the government to coordinate with relevant departments to renew the travel documents for students.