DSE備戰英文科｜社論學英文—多管齊下紓緩幼稚園停辦潮

2024-03-18 14:00

多管齊下紓緩幼稚園停辦潮

2023年12月5日《星島日報》社論

中小學縮班殺校時有所聞，不少幼稚園也被逼停辦，有業界人士警告，隨著出生率下跌、移民潮、疫情打擊等不利因素夾擊，更壞的情況陸續有來。香港幼稚園的質素一向有保證，大家都不想看到「停辦潮」持續。希望政府適時提供更有力的支援，防止更多幼稚園在營運狀況改善前倒下，業界也應加倍努力，通過不同渠道招收新生，紓緩停辦潮，保衛作為珍貴基礎教育資源的幼稚園。

根本原因是學生人數減少

教育局早前回覆立法會財委會時指出，2022/23學年（截至2023年2月），有5間幼稚園停辦。加上2023年9月和11月宣布結業的九龍塘根德園幼稚園和北角聖保羅堂幼稚園，以及最近宣布停辦消息的香港教育大學幼兒發展中心和香港浸會大學附屬幼稚園，停辦的幼稚園已有9間。如此情況無疑是一個警號。

接連有幼稚園結業，足證有關情況絕非個別現象，根本原因是學生人數減少。今年5月，教聯會向全港幼稚園展開問卷調查，共收到320份回應。調查結果顯示，近84%受訪學校表示2023/24學年K1學生人數大幅減少。近35%受訪幼稚園指，2023/24學年K1學生人數較2022/23年度大約減少21至30人。兩個學年K1學生人數相比，僅有16.6%學校表示減少人數低於10人。四成受訪學校表示，今年放棄學額的學生人數增加，當中近八成半學校反映，學生人數減少的主因是所在校區出生率下跌，另有逾七成半學生是因移民而退學。

出生率下跌和人口外移的問題，短時間內是難以逆轉的，但並非不能通過行政措施紓緩。例如2023年《施政報告》便提出多項鼓勵生育政策，包括提供新生嬰兒獎勵金、推行「家有初生優先選樓計劃」等舉措。這些措施值得歡迎，但其成效畢竟需要數年才可以看到，難解燃眉之急。當前政府最逼切要做的，就是對幼稚園提供靈活的財政資助。2020年3月至2022年3月期間，當局先後5次為所有幼稚園提供額外資助，助其渡過疫情下的財政困難。如今依舊有不少幼稚園面對資金問題，假如政府同意發放更多津貼，或者調高每名幼稚園學童的資助額，甚至放寬幼稚園申請增加學費的門檻，相信有助業界挺過一時的財政困難。

業界應主動出擊開拓生源

與此同時，業界亦要主動出擊，積極開拓生源。香港雖然承受少子化和移民潮的衝擊，但各項「搶人才」計劃適時為香港補充「新血」。今年截至10月底，各項人才入境計劃共有11.4萬宗申請獲批，在計劃下的受養人簽證8.1萬宗獲批，當中4.7萬宗為18歲以下未婚子女受養人。這4.7萬人中，有多少人是3至6歲適合入讀幼稚園的學童，數字並不確切。教育局應和負責「搶人才」計劃的勞福局密切溝通，掌握來港幼童數目，讓幼稚園業界有條件制訂相應的招生策略。

不少大灣區家長心儀香港教育制度，卻未必了解詳情，加強宣傳實屬必要。2023年12月中旬亞博館舉行首屆（大灣區）香港學校教育展，向大灣區家長簡介香港教育制度和各校特色，屆時將有百多間中小學及幼稚園參展。希望將來還有更多幼稚園參與不同推廣活動，多向內地甚至東南亞的家長做好解說工作，既「搶人才」，也「搶人才子女」，煞停停辦潮。

近84%受訪學校表示2023/24學年K1學生人數大幅減少。（圖片來源：幼根德園幼稚園）

房委會推行「家有初生優先選樓計劃」，合資格人士可獲縮減一年輪候時間。

保羅堂幼稚園北角分校停辦，與中環分校合併。

傳統名私幼根德園幼稚園宣布停辦

學生人數減少的主因是所在校區出生率下跌，另有逾七成半學生是因移民而退學。

Multi-pronged approach to ease kindergarten closures

Just as primary and secondary schools are cutting classes and closing down, many kindergartens have also been forced to cease operation. There have been warnings in the sector that with a declining birth rate, migration wave, pandemic, etc., the worst is yet to come. The quality of kindergartens has always been guaranteed and no one wants to see more closures. Hopefully the government will provide timely and powerful support to prevent them from failing before their improved operation. The industry should also double efforts in student recruitment to safeguard kindergartens as a precious source of basic education.

Main issue - falling student population

In an earlier reply to the Legco Finance Committee, the Education Bureau (EB) pointed out that in the 2022/23 school year (as of February 2023), five kindergartens closed down. Together with the Kentville Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong and St. Paul's Church Kindergarten in North Point that announced closing in September and November this year, as well as the Early Childhood Learning Centre of the Education University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Baptist University Kindergarten, which recently announced their closure, there are a total of nine. This is a clear warning. 　　

The spate of closures is not an isolated phenomenon. The reason behind is the decrease in number of students. The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers launched a questionnaire survey for all kindergartens in May and received a total of 320 responses. The results showed that nearly 84 per cent of the schools surveyed said that the number of K1 students decreased dramatically in the 2023/24 school year. Nearly 35 per cent stated that the number of K1 students in the 2023/24 school year was approximately 21 to 30 fewer. Comparing two school years' figures, only 16.6 per cent reported a loss of less than 10 students. Forty per cent said that the number of students giving up their places this year increased. Nearly 85 per cent of them reported the main reasons being the decrease amid a lower birth rate and over 75 per cent of the students migrating. 　　

The problems of falling birth rates and migration are not easy to reverse in the near future, but they are not impossible to offset through administrative measures. For example, the Policy Address proposed several initiatives to encourage childbearing, including cash bonus for newborn babies and the "Families with Newborns Flat Selection Priority Scheme". These measures are welcomed, but not immediate solutions. It is most urgent for the government to provide flexible financial assistance. From March 2020 to March 2022, the authorities gave additional subsidies to kindergartens five times to help them tide over the difficulties amid the pandemic. Today, many kindergartens are still having problems with funding. If there are more subsidies, increasing the amount for each student or even relaxing the threshold for raising tuition fees, it will help the industry through temporary financial difficulties. 　　

Meanwhile, the industry must take theinitiative to recruit students. Although Hong Kong is impacted by the declining birth rate and migration wave, various "compete for talents" schemes have added "new blood". As of the end of October, 114,000 applications have been approved through different talent admission schemes with 81,000 dependent visas - 47,000 for unmarried dependent children under the age of 18. But there is no exact figure on how many of them are kindergarten age between three and six. The EB should communicate closely with the Labour and Welfare Bureau in charge of the schemes to have a good grasp of their numbers so that kindergartens can create corresponding enrolment strategies.

Sector should proactively recruit

Many parents in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) are interested in Hong Kong's education system, but they may not possess detailed understanding. Publicity must thus be enhanced. In mid-December, the AsiaWorld-Expo will be holding the First GBA Hong Kong School Education Expo to introduce Hong Kong's education system and school features to GBA parents. More than a hundred primary & secondary schools and kindergartens will be participating. Hopefully more kindergartens will join promotion activities for mainland or even Southeast Asia parents. We should compete for talents' dependents as well as talents themselves to halt kindergarten closures.

Vocabulary

timely (adj) —— 及時的
spate (n) —— 一陣
reverse (v) —— 逆轉
childbearing (n) —— 生育
newborn (adj) —— 新生的
immediate (adj) —— 直接的
threshold (n) —— 門檻
grasp (n) —— 掌握

Useful Terms

migration wave —— 移民潮
isolated phenomenon —— 個別現象
cash bonus —— 獎勵金
dependent visa —— 受養人簽證

Did you know?

To encourage childbearing amid the persistently low birth rate, there will be a one-off cash bonus for each baby born in Hong Kong to a parent who is a permanent resident, a raise in the accommodation-related tax deduction ceiling as well as priority arrangements for purchase of subsidized sale flats and allocation of public rental housing flats for families with newborns.

Q&A

The word _____ in the first paragraph is the opposite of "late".
The recent kindergarten _____ serve as a warning of the situation.
In the passage, the word _____ means "understanding".
There are no exact figures on how many kindergarten _____ children are entering Hong Kong.
According to the last paragraph, kindergartens should participate more in _____ activities.