Parents of Hong Kong's elite secondary education institute St. Paul Secondary School lodged complaints to the Chinese Bureau of Education following Thursday's picture-taking incident that involved local police.
According to the South China Morning Post, parents submitted letters to the education chief after police were called on students taking last-day photos by the campus gate on Thursday. Videos and photos of two police officers speaking to students by the campus gate have since gone viral.
Students were reportedly taking photos on their last day before taking exams. It is unclear if they were making noise and refusing instructions from teachers as stated by the school. Parents are seething and have urged for action against the teachers involved.
In a statement released on Friday evening, St. Paul's confirmed that one of the teachers called police "out of concern for the students' safety." The statement further explained that students sitting by the school railings refused to listen to teachers and made noise.
Furthermore, the school said it has "stressed" to the teacher who called the police that school authority should be informed first in cases that involve students' safety. St. Paul's said it will review institute policies on taking last-day pictures.
Police said they received a call at around 6 p.m. with a man claiming that around 20 students outside the elite Hong Kong school were blocking the pavement. Students in question reportedly left the area after police officers arrived and no arrests were made.
Secretary for Education, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung received complaint letters from concerned parents who wanted the teachers to be reprimanded. Part of the statement from parents read, "As parents, we reserve the right to protect and appeal against any action which is damaging to our daughters' mental well-being, dignity and their good name."
Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Education continues to enhance its systems that promote the interest of students in the country. The Ministry recently issued a circular banning that blocks commercial activities and advertisement from infiltrating campuses.
According to Xinhua, the ban was imposed following reports that commercial activities have started entering kindergartens, primary, and secondary schools in a number of provinces. These include Hubei, Sichuan, and Shandong provinces.
The circular ordered all local education administrations to inspect all schools in the said regions. Teaching materials, certificates of merit, uniforms, textbooks and other materials should be checked before they are sent to campuses or used by students and teachers.
The memo further called for school managements to establish policies that require the approval of education administrations before new activities are introduced to students. The move is seen as a way of ensuring that commercial activities don't penetrate schools and other educational facilities.
