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Why some Hong Kong parents are choosing to teach their children at home

Why some Hong Kong parents are choosing to teach their children at home

Every Tuesday, 11-year-old Sam Li rolls up her sleeves for a pottery class. On Wednesday, she sews. Next, she hopes to learn about weaving and the history of the Roman Empire.
Sam's schedule is unusual for a primary school student in Hong Kong. She has no homework and does not attend classes on Fridays.
Since August, she has been completing her Primary Six education through home-schooling. She is taught by her 46-year-old father, George Li, an English teacher with 18 years of experience at a local secondary school. He tutors her in Chinese, English and maths, adjusting lessons to her needs.
Sam said she could feel a difference in how she learns compared to when she was in a traditional school. 'It was hard to keep up [at school], so I'd stop trying and ended up doodling,' she said.
George and Connie*, Sam's 44-year-old mother, are part of a small group of Hong Kong parents choosing to homeschool their children. The Li family wants to prioritise family bonding and mental health.
Challenges of learning at home
Home-schooling is allowed in Hong Kong, but it is not common. The city has about 120 families who home school, according to Vivien Lai Mei-kei, a researcher who specialises in home schooling in Hong Kong and mainland China.
The Education Bureau has no rules for what is taught.
For the Li family, schooling is no longer only about preparing their children for top universities. Instead, they are also prioritising family bonding and mental health. Photo: Kelly Fung
Lai said not attending school means students have fewer opportunities to interact with their peers. But she hoped that society would view home-schooling as an option.
The Li family was first inspired to teach their children at home during the pandemic when in-person classes were paused. They spent three months home-schooling Sam's brother.
Then, when Sam was in Primary Five, she was miserable because of academic stress and difficult relationships. 'She was overwhelmed. That's when I knew we had to make a change,' Connie shared.
After four months of home-schooling, Sam's mother noticed how her daughter had found peace.
Family over academics
With personalised instruction, Sam shared that she gained confidence in her weaker subjects and felt more motivated to pursue her interests. Her dream is to be a fashion designer.
When Sam's gap year finishes, she hopes to apply to a Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary school. But it is uncertain whether she will be admitted as most schools require exam scores to evaluate applicants.
This family's emphasis on emotional well-being comes at a time when happiness in Hong Kong is low, according to several annual surveys.
For Connie, home-schooling has strengthened the family's bond. 'Our relationship was strained before – everything was out of balance because we were always rushing,' she said.
'Now, I can focus on connecting with them … academics become secondary.'

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Hong Kong boosts marine biodiversity with 83,500 fish released near airport
Hong Kong boosts marine biodiversity with 83,500 fish released near airport

South China Morning Post

time21 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Hong Kong boosts marine biodiversity with 83,500 fish released near airport

Hong Kong authorities have released 83,500 juvenile fish into waters near the airport and other locations. This is one event in a series aimed at enhancing marine resources. The Airport Authority and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department carried out the initiative on Friday. This was in observance of the annual National Fish Releasing Day, which is celebrated on June 6. The authority, which oversees the city's airport, released 60,000 'larger-than-fist-sized' fish into a vessel-prohibited area west of the airport's central runway and 1 million tiger prawn larvae into waters off neighbouring coasts. The department, meanwhile, introduced 23,500 fry fish, made up of five native species, into the waters around Tung Ping Chau and adjacent to Shenzhen in Mirs Bay. Among the 60,000 fish released by the authority were 10,000 crescent sweetlips raised in the Sai Kung Sham Wan Culture Zone. The other 50,000 fish were reared in mainland China. The authority said it had also finished deploying 500 artificial reefs as 'housing' for the fish to help improve the marine ecology. It began setting them up at the start of the year. Hong Kong scientists warn of more severe bleaching of coral reefs Peter Lee Chung-tang, the statutory body's chief sustainability officer, said: 'Under this scheme, we aim to increase the marine ecological value of the area by providing habitats for small fish in this area of mostly soft mud in the seabed due to the deposition of sediments from the Pearl River Delta, and introducing common and local fish species to enhance biodiversity.' Another 100 artificial reefs and 30,000 fish, made up of three species, were introduced to waters west of the airport's south runway under pilot schemes in 2021 and 2023, he added. Lee said the artificial reefs deployed four years ago now acted as habitats for 14 other local species. Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee said that before the airport's construction, the Chek Lap Kok area had more natural rocky shores that acted as substrates and allowed for species such as oysters and soft corals to thrive. The natural structures were later replaced with vertical concrete sea walls that surrounded the island, he added. Leung, who is the director of the Chinese University of Hong Kong's State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, said that the current sustainability operations in the airport area could help to compensate for the loss of natural habitats following reclamation works as part of the airport's construction. 'Providing a more diverse habitat is crucial to enhancing biodiversity. And installing artificial reefs and fish stocking is like gardening; creating a 3D habitat by providing a heterogeneous landscape for more species of fish in the originally desert-like area west of the airport,' he said. 'It is a way to raise biodiversity through artificial habitat enhancement.' The fish introduced near the airport comprised four species: the black seabream (pictured), green grouper, the yellowfin seabream and the white flower croaker. Photo: Nora Tam Lee of the Airport Authority said it had consulted local fishermen before releasing the 60,000 fish. He added that the fish introduced to the waters near the airport comprised four species raised in various parts of the mainland and were made up of the green grouper, the yellowfin seabream, the black seabream and the white flower croaker – the last of which is a favoured food source for Chinese white dolphins. Lee said the body had also acted on fishermen's suggestions to release prawns into the waters to enhance the area's overall marine ecological value. The authority planned to introduce more fish to the area in the near future, as it had proved effective in enhancing the marine ecology, he said. Asked about the long-term effects of the operations, Professor Leung said: 'With the communities of species established in the area, they will attract other fish to hunt for food here and form a healthy ecosystem, with Chinese white dolphins potentially hunting and encouraged to eventually stay in the area.'

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