Voluntary class reduction

THE Education Bureau (EDB) has introduced a"voluntary scheme of optimising classstructure", ostensibly to facilitate theimplementation of the new senior secondary curriculum.However, everybody knows the purpose of introducingthe scheme is to save secondary schools that havedifficulty filling their classrooms from being "killed".Whether the scheme will prove effective depends onwhether the about 400 government and aidedsecondary schools in the SAR would be cooperative.

The EDB has already decided that, in the nextacademic year, the size of secondary one classesshould be 34 rather than 36. It has now launched thevoluntary class structure optimisation scheme. Onemay say it has gone to extraordinary lengths to preventteachers from becoming redundant by keeping schoolsafloat. If all government and aided secondary schoolsin the SAR work in concert, political problems ofclosing schools and making teachers redundant willdisappear. However, it is unlikely that all secondaryschools will join the scheme. At least the 250 that eachhave no fewer than five secondary one classes in thecurrent academic year would be reluctant to do so.Having no lack of applications for their secondary oneplaces, they need not cut classes.

If such a school, having regard to the generalinterest, joins the scheme and has four instead of fivesecondary one classes, people may think it has hadenrolment problems. We do not think many schoolswould relish being so labelled. Furthermore, parentswould raise objections. Those whose children attendthe school would not want it to be so labelled, andthose who want their children to go to the school wouldnot want it to admit fewer secondary one students. It isunrealistic to expect the 250 schools to be eager to jointhe scheme.

Government statistics show the number of

secondary one students will continue to fall. Between2013 and 2019, on average 50,000 students will applyfor secondary one places each year. The number willnot return to the 2009 level until 2020. In the 2009-10school year, 36 schools have barely crossed thethreshold. Now they each have only three secondaryone classes. Seven of them are in Tuen Mun, six inSha Tin, and five in eastern Hong Kong Island. Ifthings remain very much as they are, some schools inthe so-called "severely afflicted areas" cannot avoidbeing "killed" for lack of students.

The 250 secondary schools that have no lack ofapplications for their secondary one places are unlikelyto have fewer secondary one classes. Some othersmay join the voluntary scheme. However, their effortswould be to the problem what a cup of water is to ablazing cartload of faggots. They are unlikely to makethings very different. The 150 schools that havedifficulty filling their classrooms may not be able evento fend for themselves. Unless such a school mergeswith another or become a school with special features,it will remain hard for it to fill its classrooms. If this isthe case and the EDB would not "kill" a school unless itis absolutely necessary to do so, the Hong KongProfessional Teachers' Union's "district small class"proposal will be one of the few practicable options. Ithas proposed that the EDB allow schools in "severelyafflicted areas" such as Sha Tin and Tai Po to havesmall-class teaching without having more classroomsor hiring more teachers. Only if the EDB does so can itavoid closing any schools in those districts.

教育局救中學措施自願縮班效果成疑

教育局宣布在中學推行「自願優化班級結構」計劃，以協助順利推行新高中學制為藉口，但是任誰都知道，計劃目的在紓緩一些中學面臨收生不足的殺校壓力。不過，這項措施之成效，視乎全港約400 所官津中學是否願意通力合作。

教育局既已把下學年中一每班人數由36 減至34，又推行「自願優化班級結構」計劃，其紓緩殺校壓力，要盡量保住學校以免出現超額教師，可說用心良苦。若全港約400 所官津中學同一步調，屆時殺校、超額教師等政治問題自然消失。但是全港中學都參與較難出現，起碼在本學年已開辦最少5 班中一的250 所學校，它們生源不缺，客觀上毋須縮班。

另外，就算有學校想從大局出發，但是若實行「5 減1」，會給外界以為收生困難，所起標籤效應，相信並無太多學校肯面對。還有是家長對於名校縮班，肯定大有意見，已有子女在校的，為避免標籤效應影響，與欲子女躋身名校窄門的家長，都會反對名校縮班。因此，寄望那250 所學校踴躍縮班，不切實際。

據政府所掌握數據，未來數年，中一生源將會持續減少，2013 至2019 年間，每年平均只有5 萬多人升中學，到2020 年才會回升至09 年水平。而2009/10 學年中一開班數目顯示，全港有36 所中學面臨收生「開班線」危機，僅開3 班中一。其中，屯門區有7 所中學僅開3 班中一，其次沙田和港島東區，分別有6 所和5 所中學開3 班中一。若事態無改變，則下學年在所謂「重災區」，因為收生不足而出現殺校的情况，將無可避免。

250 所生源不虞或缺的學校，縮班可能較低，就算有少數學校自願縮班，基本上也是杯水車薪，難以改變大局，而本來就收生困難的約150 所學校，本身自顧不暇，除非他們之間願意合併或改辦特色學校等方向性轉變，否則無法扭轉招生困局，這樣的話，若教育局的底線是盡量不殺校，則教協提出在沙田和大埔等「重災區」推行「區域性中學小班教學」，讓學校毋須增加教師和課室情况下，推行小班教學，就是所餘不多的選擇。因為這樣才可以紓緩殺校壓力。

Glossary

ostensibly /'stensIblI/If a person does something ostensibly for apurpose, that may not be his real purpose.

concert

If people work in concert, they work together.fend /fend/

To fend for oneself is to take care of oneselfwithout help from anyone else.'