Improvements urged as falling concrete, mould and noise interference haunt students at classrooms built on public estates since the 1960s
PEACE.CHIU@SCMP.COM
UPDATED : Monday, 06 June, 2016, 11:28pm
Father Cucchiara Memorial School at Cheung Ching Estate in Tsing Yi. Photo: David Wong
Crumbling concrete, mould outbreaks, and noise interference from neighbouring classrooms – these conditions are not normally associated with primary schools in a first-world city like Hong Kong, with an education system considered to be among the world’s best.
But it is commonplace for students and teachers in the city’s “matchbox-style” schools.
Bearing a resemblance to rectangular matchboxes, these primary schools were constructed between the mid-1960s and 1980 in public housing estates.
Many of the estates, such as those in Kwai Chung and Ngau Tau Kok, have since been redeveloped owing to structural problems caused by the use of salt water or seawater in their construction.
This led to the rusting of embedded steel bars and the spalling of concrete.
However 28 of the schools remain, with one on Hong Kong Island, nine in Kowloon and 18 in the New Territories.
Building flaws at crumbling Hong Kong school leave pupils fearing for their safety
Owing to the age of the schools and their flawed design, students and staff face a wide range of health and safety concerns.
Upon entering such a school, the problem of falling bits of cement is most noticeable.
As with public housing estates that were built with salt water or seawater, the issue is a structural one. That means even constant repair works cannot solve the problem.
From left, Legislative Council panel on education deputy chairman Ip Kin-yuen, member Wong Kwok-hing, and Kwai Shing Lutheran Primary School principal Simon Wong Siu-chiu visit a school operating on matchbox-style premises. Photo: Dickson Lee
Principals of several “matchbox-style” schools have also highlighted the problem of ventilation walls – constructed with concrete blocks through which air can flow.
A common fixture in such schools, they offer no protection from rain and lead to slippery floors – a safety hazard.
But, at the same time, some schools face the problem of poor ventilation, resulting in stuffiness and even the growth of mould.
According to the World Health Organisation guidelines for indoor air quality: dampness and mould published in 2009, occupants of both affected houses and public buildings are at increased risk of respiratory symptoms, infections and the exacerbation of asthma.
Besides health and safety concerns, educators and experts have warned that the learning and development of students are also compromised in such schools.
Unlike newer schools, which have classrooms only on one side, with a wall on the other, “matchbox-style” schools have classrooms opposite each other, resulting in noise interference.
Moreover, the walls tend to be not very solid, with noise being transmitted easily from room to room and across different levels.
From left, Legco panel on education member Gary Fan Kwok-wai, deputy chairman Ip Kin-yuen, chairman Lam Tai-fai, political assistant to the secretary for education Jeff Sze Chun-fai, and undersecretary for education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung visit a school operating on matchbox-style premises. Photo: Dickson Lee
Dr Winnie Chan Wai-lan, an assistant professor from the University of Hong Kong’s department of psychology, said noise interference from classrooms opposite each other may make it difficult for primary students to concentrate.
This was especially true since they have a lower attention span than adults.
The learning and development challenges faced by students also go beyond the classrooms.
The lack of sporting and performing arts venues is a problem faced by many such schools.
Principals often have to shelve plans to form sporting or performing arts groups owing to the lack of such facilities.
The problem is further exacerbated during rainy days because the schools do not have adequate indoor sporting venues.
Crumbling walls are common. Photo: Dickson Lee
Students often have to remain in their classrooms when the weather is bad.
Certain activity rooms also have to serve multiple functions.
For example, in one “matchbox-style” school, a single room serves as the place to hold language therapy, meet parents, undergo counselling and say prayers, raising concern at the lack of privacy and inconvenience with several groups requiring the room at the same time.
Dr Chan said that in order for students to enjoy healthy development, they need to be able to move around and play in schools.
“It’s not just physical education lessons, students need space to move around and the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, such as gardening, at other times too,’’ she said.
‘’A comfortable learning environment can elicit positive emotions and thus enhance learning.”
Talk about building schools that evolve with the times and promote interactive learning has been gaining traction globally in recent years.
As early as in 2006, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released a report titled “21st Century Learning Environments”.
The report recommended that educational spaces be “sufficiently flexible to accommodate an ever-increasing range of teaching and learning scenarios and technologies”.
These included room for group learning; individual learning; open, multi-purpose spaces that serve as social spaces for example; and specialised spaces for activities such as sports and performing arts.
Such an approach has also caught on in Hong Kong, with the establishment of millennium and post-millennium schools.
As well as basic facilities, the former feature language and special rooms, networked computers and multimedia facilities.
Meanwhile, post-millennium schools may be tailor-made to site conditions and the particular educational goals sought.
The stark contrast in environments has led educators, lawmakers and parents to call for urgent action to be taken to improve condition at “matchbox-style” schools.
“[These students] are also our children, why are they subject to such a learning environment, while some other students can study in millennium schools. It should be fair,” education lawmaker Ip Kin-yuen said.
He also pointed out that the 28 schools are only the tip of the iceberg, as there are still many sub-standard schools more than 40 years old.
While there is no exact figure available, undersecretary for education Kevin Yeung Yun-hung previously revealed there are about 100 schools more than 30 years old with campuses covering less than 3,000 square metres.
But the Education Bureau said over the years it has put in place various measures to enhance the facilities of schools, according to their needs and teaching and learning environments.
A bureau spokeswoman said all except one of the 28 schools had been provided with extra classrooms, special rooms and, in some cases, administrative facilities through the School Improvement Programme.
She said some of the schools had also acquired annex blocks under the programme for expansion and facilities improved where sites allowed and it was technically feasible.
Yeung told reporters during a site visit to three “matchbox-style” schools in April that about HK$65 million had been spent on important repairs over the past five years.
A bureau spokesman said the amount allocated for the forthcoming repairs programme for such schools exceeded HK$41 million.
Twenty-four of the schools had expressed an intention to apply for reprovisioning and redevelopment.
Six had applied for reprovisioning and two of them had been successfully allocated new premises last year.
With regard to redevelopment at current sites, the spokesman said the bureau would assess a school’s suitability based on factors such as whether it was technically feasible to do so.
On reprovisioning, the bureau said the allocation of school sites and vacant premises was generally conducted on a competitive basis, with the quality of education the prime consideration.
Another factor taken into consideration was the physical condition of premises.
However Ip said the physical condition of schools should be given priority because it was an “urgent problem”.
As such, he is calling for the formulation of policies in terms of reprovisioning, redevelopment and repair of substandard premises, to help alleviate problems faced by schools.
Educators, parents and lawmakers are also calling on the government to set a timeline for solving problems faced by the schools
The bureau, the Legislative Council’s education panel and school representatives held a meeting to discuss the issue last month.
Tsui Hei-lai, a principal of a “matchbox-style” school and an executive committee member of the Subsidised Primary School Council who attended the meeting, said she was happy with the progress made since the meeting.
The bureau had been gathering information and opinions from the schools and would be making visits to each one, she said.
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