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Education Bureau
Government Secretariat, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The People’s Republic of China
本局檔號 Our Ref.: (17) in EDB(JOKC)/COR/16 (Pt.7) 電話 Telephone:
來函檔號 Your Ref.: 傳真 Fax Line:
28 February 2022
To: All Kindergartens / Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres
Dear Supervisor / Principal,
Arrangement of Special Vacation in the 2021/22 School Year
Hong Kong’s fifth wave of COVID-19 epidemic is very severe, with the number of confirmed cases hitting record high. The Government will act in a comprehensive and decisive way to achieve the target of dynamic zero infection.
The Chief Executive announced on 22 February 2022 that the Government will, during the critical period in the coming two to three months, take a series of thorough actions targeting at bringing the epidemic under control, which includes the launch of the Compulsory Universal Testing Scheme. We need to mobilise all resources and involve all sectors in our community to execute such a large- scale operation. The education sector is one of the important members of the community and we appeal for your support and participation.
To support this operation, we need a large number of testing centres. We also hope to minimize most of the activities in our society to reduce the chance of infection. As such, the Chief Executive has announced that the Government will adjust the summer vacation arrangement of all schools in the current school year by bringing forward the holidays from July / August to March / April so that resources from all sectors can be concentrated to achieve the target of dynamic zero infection. After the epidemic has subsided, students can return to a healthy campus with peace of mind and resume face-to-face classes. The relevant arrangement are elaborated as follows:
Swapping of Vacation
The original summer vacation of schools will be brought forward from July / August to March / April (hereafter referred to as the special vacation). In principle, the special vacation will start from 7 March 2022, connecting the Easter Holiday, to the last day of the Easter holiday originally scheduled by individual schools. The last school day in the current school year is 12 August 2022.
Considering the operational need of schools and noting that some schools might need more time to prepare for re-structuring the teaching schedule, organising learning activities, redeploying manpower resources and re- assigning school administrative duties, flexibility is allowed for schools to start the special vacation not later than 17 March 2022, and make corresponding adjustment to the last school day.
The summer holiday of kindergartens generally ranges from around two to six weeks. To allow both schools and students reasonable time to prepare for the new school year, the basic principle is that there should be at least two weeks’ time for schools to make preparatory work before commencement of the new school year, with the remaining holidays to be arranged in March and April, connecting the Easter Holiday as far as possible. Prior to the commencement of the special vacation, schools should follow their original schedules to support students to learn at home.
The last day of the current school year is 31 August 2022, and the first school day of the 2022/23 school year is 1 September 2022. For individual kindergartens which start the new school year before 1 September, schools should take into account the need to have at least two weeks’ time for making preparatory work before the new school year when considering the date of starting the special vacation and the corresponding adjustment to the last school day.
During the period of special vacation and the Compulsory Universal Testing, school staff and students should not go back to school unless they are back for vaccination or testing.
If the epidemic has subsided and the situation allows, classes will be resumed after the end of the Easter holiday as originally scheduled by schools. We expect that kindergartens and primary schools may resume face-to-face classes first.
Kindergartens should refrain children from prolonged use of digital screen gadgets. They should also remind children to take appropriate rest for their eyes when using these gadgets. Hence, in principle, e-learning in the form of real-time online teaching is not suitable for kindergartens.
Kindergartens can adopt other modes to facilitate children to continue learning at home and help them sustain their curiosity and motivation for learning. The Education Bureau (EDB) issued a letter to all kindergartens in May 2020 disseminating certain principles and strategies in supporting kindergarten students to learn at home for schools’
reference. Kindergartens should also make use of the additional resources provided under the Gift Book Scheme and Do It Yourself Handicraft and Learning Package Scheme to support students’ learning at home.
For kindergartens being used as testing centres, other than the staff who are essential to the school operation, no other staff should be arranged to go back to school during the period. These schools should consider when to start the special vacation, and make appropriate arrangements prior to the special vacation, including supporting students’ learning at home.
Administrative Arrangements
In principle, relevant arrangements made by schools in previous summer vacations are also applicable to the special vacation. During the special vacation, schools are not required to keep their campuses open. To reduce the risk of infection, parents should keep their children staying at home as far as possible during the special vacation and suspension of face-to-face classes. If individual parents, due to special circumstances, have a genuine need to send their children back to school, they should contact and liaise with the schools in advance for any possible assistance.
To avoid confusion, kindergartens charging tuition fees are advised to follow the prevailing arrangement for collecting fees from parents, and changes are not required. Schools may apply to the EDB if there is a practical need to amend the number of instalments shown on the Fees Certificates.
Owing to the vacation adjustment, schools may be unable to fulfil the contracts signed with service providers or suppliers as planned, and some employment contracts may also need to be revised to meet the operational needs of schools. In addition, schools should study carefully and rationalise all the relevant administrative arrangements and details concerning student admission, time-tabling, staff recruitment, contracts, benefits, paid annual leave, maintenance works, etc. Schools have to examine the various arrangements and the content of contracts as soon as possible, with a view to reaching agreement with service providers, suppliers, staff and other stakeholders following the general principles of the Employment Ordinance and other guidelines of the EDB as far as possible. After obtaining consent from the School Management Committee, schools can adjust the arrangements/details of services to accommodate vacation adjustment, and keep parents informed of the relevant changes. In case there are problems in the implementation of the required details, the EDB will handle such cases in a flexible manner as far as possible.
Points to Note for Anti-epidemic Arrangements
Arrangements for COVID-19 Vaccination
As the epidemic situation is severe in the community, the EDB strongly urges parents and schools to race against time in the coming two to three months to arrange eligible students to get vaccinated as early as possible to protect themselves. A high vaccination rate will help construct a more effective protective barrier and create favourable conditions for early resumption of face-to-face classes.
Apart from vaccination arranged by parents themselves, during school holiday and suspension of face-to-face classes, the EDB encourages more schools to continue to facilitate and encourage students to get vaccinated in accordance with their school-based situation, including arranging on- site vaccination or group booking to Community Vaccination Centres, etc.
Should schools have difficulties or enquiries regarding the vaccination arrangements, they can contact their respective Senior School Development Officers / Senior Services Officers for appropriate support and assistance. School should also pay attention to the updated information on the various facilitation measures on student vaccination promulgated by the EDB and the Civil Service Bureau.
Implementation of “Vaccine Pass”
“Vaccine Pass” has been implemented starting from 24 February 2022.
Except for those who are granted exemptions, all school staff, persons providing on-campus services and visitors have to have received the first dose or otherwise they will not be allowed to enter into school premises.
Teachers or school staff directly employed by schools who have received only one dose of vaccination should receive the second dose of vaccination during the period within eight weeks after 24 February 2022 (i.e. before 21 April 2022). The above measures would still be put in place during school vacation or suspension of face-to-face classes. The
“Vaccine Pass” arrangements are not applicable to students. Parents accompanying their children to receive vaccinations or parents/guardians planning to receive vaccination in person on school campus are exempted from the requirements.
Anti-Epidemic Measures
Schools should remind parents to pay close attention to the physical and mental health of their children and take anti-epidemic measures during school vacation. Students should avoid going out, especially to crowded places with poor ventilation. They should maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and take adequate rest in order to strengthen their immunity. If teachers, school staff or students are feeling unwell (even the symptoms are very mild), they must not return to school and should seek medical advice promptly so as to receive appropriate diagnoses and treatments.
Schools should encourage teachers and parents to pay attention to students’ emotion and make reference to suitable online resources1 provided by the EDB and other organisations to assist students to cope with their emotion and pressure during school holiday.
Schools should keep the school campus clean and hygienic all the time.
Schools are required to continue to strictly observe the health measures as stipulated in the “Health Protection Measures for Schools” issued by the EDB and the “Health Advice to Schools for the Prevention of COVID- 19” issued by the Centre for Health Protection.”
1 For details, please visit the MentalHealth@School website (https://mentalhealth.edb.gov.hk/en/index.html) and make reference to the following link:
https://mentalhealth.edb.gov.hk/en/promotion-at-the-universal-level/related-programmes-and-links.html
We understand that, with adjustment of the vacation, schools have to make a lot of adjustments that require follow-up actions. The plans of individual teachers and parents may also be affected. However, Hong Kong is now facing unprecedented challenges, the concerted efforts of all people to participate in anti-epidemic work are needed. The EDB would like to take this opportunity to thank the education sector, including school staff, parents and students, for their continuous cooperation and support. It is encouraging that many school sponsoring bodies and schools have been actively promoting vaccination for teachers and students. Some even indicate that they are willing to lend the school premises for vaccination and other anti-epidemic purposes. All these acts fully demonstrate the sector’s commitment to the battle against the epidemic.
We would like to express our deepest gratitude for their actions. If schools have any problems in the vacation adjustment as well as other related matters, please contact their respective Senior School Development Officers / Senior Services Officers who will provide all necessary support.
Yours sincerely,
(Ms Y Y SO)
for Permanent Secretary for Education
