Hong Kong secondary schools have warned that ethnic minority pupils must jump through hoops to obtain the visa needed to take part in compulsory study tours to mainland China, and called on authorities to streamline the process.
Form Five pupils sitting the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams must go on study tours to the mainland as part of a new core subject called citizenship and social development next year. More than 1,000 ethnic minority students take the exams every year.
The first batch of schools embarked on the one-day trip in April, while others plan to visit in July, when the term ends.
Yuen Kwok-ming, principal of Caritas Tuen Mun Marden Foundation Secondary School, said it organised a trip to Shenzhen and Guangzhou to visit universities in May. Eight non-Chinese students took part in the trip and they were required to fill out forms at the border.
“Then they were all kept waiting in the manual channels,” he said, adding pupils holding home return permits could cross the border quickly via the electronic channels.
“We waited over half an hour for the eight non-Chinese students holding foreign passports to go across the border.”
Yuen expressed concern that pupils and teachers would have to wait up to two hours to enter the mainland during the coming July trip, which 30 ethnic minority students, or half of those in Secondary Five, were expected to join.
The principal said long waiting times for immigration clearance would result in a shorter trip, adding transport already took more than two hours.
Teachers and pupils who had crossed the border had to wait for everyone before setting off, he noted.
“I don’t think much time will be left for site visits at the end,” Yuen said.
Au Hoi-kin, principal of Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School, comprising mostly ethnic minority pupils, said students would have to prepare many documents to obtain the visa.
“Students need to hand in copies of their parents’ identity documents, marriage certificate, as well as their own travel records. They also need to fill in a form with plenty of information … different nationalities have different requirements for documents,” he said.
Au said he expected some parents of the pupils might choose not to apply for the visa in the future given all the requirements.
Both Au and Yuen urged authorities to work with their counterparts over the border to streamline the immigration process.
Au said he hoped mainland authorities could let ethnic minority pupils apply for home return permits.
John Tse Wing-ling, executive director of concern group Hong Kong Unison, which supports ethnic minority communities, said the tours would not achieve the government’s aim if they only lasted a few hours.
“It will not meet the original purpose, which is to let students understand mainland China,” Tse said. “Their learning will also be minimal.”
The new core subject for Form Four and Five students was introduced to replace liberal studies in 2021, following accusations that the curriculum was radicalising youngsters.
The new syllabus focuses on national security, identity, lawfulness and patriotism.
The Education Bureau earlier provided 22 possible routes for mainland tours. Eight of them were one-day trips, six were for two days, and the rest were three-day tours.
Students in Form Five this year were the first group to study the new subject.
A bureau spokesman said it had asked mainland authorities to provide appropriate help to expedite the immigration process of non-Chinese students, adding that schools could ask students to assemble earlier to allow sufficient time for crossing the border.
.scmp.com