********************************************************
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (November 14) announced that the bureau has finalised the details of the "one student one place" admission arrangements in collaboration with the kindergartens (KGs) (including kindergarten-cum-child care centres) in Tai Po and North Districts.
A spokesman for the EDB said, "We have held four meetings with all KGs in the two districts. They all supported the implementation of the arrangements."
The related procedures and details are as follows:
* The sign-up period, originally scheduled for December 11 to 13, will be extended by one day to December 14 (i.e. including a Saturday) to assist parents in signing up;
* During the sign-up period, parents should, after careful consideration, sign up at one KG which offers a place for their children. The EDB will issue a registration letter only for parents who have signed up at one KG. These parents may then complete the registration procedures with the KG they have chosen/signed up for their children during the registration dates; and
* The registration dates will be advanced by one month to January 10 to 13, 2014, to facilitate the operation of KGs and enable parents to confirm a school place for their children earlier.
"The KGs will submit the particulars of the students who have been signed up to the EDB for verification. We will issue a registration letter for those students who have been signed up at one KG only. The registration letter will be sent directly to the KGs concerned so that parents may complete the registration procedures at the respective KGs. For students who have been signed up with more than one KG, the KGs concerned will follow up with the parents," the spokesman explained.
The spokesman said that the KGs in Tai Po and North Districts have started the related work in accordance with the agreed procedure. Through the "one student one place" measure, parents will make a decision and sign up with one selected KG as early as possible, thus releasing vacant places for students on the waiting list. The measure will not only allow KGs to better understand their vacancy situation, but will also alleviate the worry of parents who have yet to secure a KG place for their children.
"The understanding and co-operation of parents is vital to the smooth implementation of the admission arrangement. As such, we will organise 16 identical seminars (see Annex) for parents at the end of November and in early December to explain the arrangements in detail and answer parents' questions," he added.
Parents may enrol via one of the following means (duplicate applications should be avoided):
* Enrolling via the EDB webpage at www.edb.gov.hk/parentstalks_e; or
* Filling in an enrolment form available at the New Territories East Regional Education Office at 22/F, Landmark North, 39 Lung Sum Avenue, Sheung Shui.
The spokesman said it is hoped that with the above arrangements, parents would make an early decision on choosing a KG suitable for their children so that vacant places can be released for other children who have yet to secure a KG place and the worries of parents can be relieved. He also thanked the Tai Po and North District Early Childhood Education Principal Association for liaising with the principals in the districts for the four meetings in the past few weeks as well as reaching a consensus on the implementation of six measures to improve the admission arrangements.
Ends/Thursday, November 14, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:01
NNNN
