And those new places may be needed just to keep up with the increasing number of mainland Chinese children who can claim residence in Hong Kong. The department says it is prepared to cope with an influx of about 66,000 such children over the next several years. But we are confident that with the additional measures, the quality of education will not be compromised. We will continue to explore ways to accelerate the implementation of whole-day primary schooling. There is also more time and opportunity for teacher-student contact.
Students can more easily develop a sense of belonging.
It's good for the children, and the parents like it. But not all parents agree. I don't want my son to be afraid of learning. Another factor working against the change is that some teachers also favor the limited hours. But Mak Lai Ping, who teaches English at Wanchai School, says she prefers whole-day teaching because she can spend more time with her pupils.