The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (March 27) that two vacant/to-be-vacated school premises in Wong Tai Sin District and Tuen Mun District are open for application by eligible school sponsoring bodies (SSBs) of existing public sector and Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) primary schools for reprovisioning purposes in the First School Allocation Exercise (SAE) 2017.

     The vacant school premises is the ex-premises of Po Leung Kuk Stanley Ho Sau Nan Primary School at 30 Hong Keung Street, San Po Kong, Kowloon. The to-be-vacated school premises is the premises of Shi Hui Wen Secondary School, which will cease operation after the current school year, at 2 Leung Choi Lane, Tuen Mun, New Territories. Details of the premises are set out in the Annex.

     "Infrastructure improvements to existing schools built to previous planning standards and designs may be infeasible due to the lack of space and other physical constraints. In this light, the EDB has identified two vacant/to-be-vacated school premises in Wong Tai Sin District and Tuen Mun District for allocation for reprovisioning of existing primary schools. This exercise is open to applications by existing public sector and DSS primary schools which are in need of infrastructure upgrades," an EDB spokesman said.

     "Allocation of the school premises will be conducted on a competitive basis. Quality of education will be the prime consideration in assessing the applications. Factors to be considered include the operation track record of the school proposed to be reprovisioned, the quality of the school plan after reprovisioning and the physical condition of the school's existing premises. In general, we believe that schools with site area of less than 3 000 square metres and premises over 30 years old which have not benefited or have only marginally benefited from the School Improvement Programme will warrant our serious consideration. The location of the applicant schools, i.e. whether they are currently operating in the same district as the location of the new school premises, will also be taken into account, though these are not prerequisites for the submission of applications since each case has to be assessed on its own merits.

     "In line with the established arrangement for reprovisioning, the successful SSB will be required, upon allocation of the new premises for reprovisioning, to return its existing school premises. For those schools currently located within a private lot under the ownership of the SSB, the school or a third party related to the SSB/school, the relevant private land owner will be required to surrender the existing school premises and site to the Government," he added.

     All applications will be considered by the School Allocation Committee comprising official and non-official members. SSBs are required to complete an application form and submit it together with the required supporting documents, a proposed school plan (of not more than 10 pages including all annexes plus a two-page executive summary) and a list of operating school(s). The proposed school plan should cover the vision and mission, management and organisation, learning and teaching, school ethos and support for students, students' performance targets and self-evaluation indicators. The SSB may also make reference to the school(s) that it is operating and their respective performance to substantiate its case.

     In line with the EDB's established policy for school allocation, when submitting the application, the SSB should be exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance, and be:

(1) incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (the successful SSB would be required to ensure that its articles of association contain all the standard clauses and articles required for allocation of a school premises); or

(2) incorporated under other ordinances, with its constitution satisfying the Permanent Secretary for Education as being fit to be considered for allocation of a school premises.

     In addition, the SSB must be running one or more public sector or DSS primary school in Hong Kong and must be the registered SSB of the applicant school.

     The application form for the First SAE 2017 and other reference materials can be downloaded from the EDB homepage (www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/sch-premises-info/allocation-of-sch/index.html). More information on this SAE can also be found on the homepage.

     The duly completed application form and supporting documents, together with 21 copies of the proposed school plan with the executive summary and list of operating schools, if any, should reach the Infrastructure and Research Support Division of the EDB (6/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong) by 5pm on April 27, 2017. Late or incomplete applications, as well as applications via email, will not be processed.

     For enquiries, please call 3509 8413 or 3509 8411.

Ends/Monday, March 27, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:40

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