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South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong leader vows to ‘consider all things' for future extreme weather prep
Hong Kong's leader has pledged to 'take all things into consideration' for future extreme weather preparations after parents criticised last week's decision to suspend day schools over concerns about a rainstorm that subsided quicker than expected. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday defended the decision by Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city's No 2 official and chair of the steering committee on handling extreme weather, and said such preparatory actions were 'absolutely correct'. Last Thursday, the committee decided to suspend all day schools for the following day as some forecasts warned the city faced its 'fifth-largest daily rainfall' on record amid the impact of storm Danas. In the past, such announcements were typically made on the morning of the suspension. But the weather on Friday morning was calm, with limited rainfall, prompting backlash from parents who said the suspension had forced their children to miss out on their graduation ceremonies and other school events. '[We] heard different opinions from the society concerning the steering committee's decision on suspending classes,' Lee told reporters ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.
South China Morning Post
11-07-2025
- Climate
- South China Morning Post
Day school suspension amid limited rainfall leaves Hong Kong parents furious
Parents in Hong Kong have questioned the 'scientific basis' of the government's decision to suspend classes at all day schools on Friday, with some arguing their children's graduation ceremonies were cancelled despite little rainfall in the morning. In a WhatsApp group with more than 1,000 parents, furious comments started flooding in at around 7.30am to complain about the decision. 'There is not a drop of rain. Due to class suspension, I still have to take special leave to take care of my children,' a parent, who was only identified as HT, said. 'No rain in the morning! I am so angry. My children study in private schools; it costs me every day. I can hardly understand why the government could not decide to suspend classes in the morning like in the past, but a day earlier,' another parent replied. Their angry comments followed an announcement on Thursday by the steering committee on handling extreme weather, which is led by Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, the city's No 2 official. 'To ensure the safety of students, and considering that schools across Hong Kong may have already started their summer vacation and the actual impact of class suspension on students' learning and teaching is relatively small, the Education Bureau announces that classes of all day schools, including secondary schools, primary schools, special schools, kindergartens, and kindergartens-cum-child care centres, will be suspended [on Friday],' the committee said in the press release that day.
