EdUHK Temporary Support Centre Opens Today
Assisting Nearly 300 Affected Students and Teachers Resume Classes
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) lowered its flags to half-mast this morning in a solemn ceremony mourning the victims of the No. 5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. On the same occasion, EdUHK officially opened the "EdUHK Temporary Support Centre" (Centre) on its Tai Po campus, providing interim classrooms as well as volunteer teachers, emotional counselling, transportation, and meal arrangements for nearly 300 students and teachers from Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS), whose lessons were suspended due to the fire.
The blaze at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, last Wednesday caused multiple casualties and led to the closure of 13 primary and secondary schools in the neighbourhood. To express profound condolences for the victims, EdUHK has lowered its flags for three consecutive days in mourning starting last Saturday. At 9 am today, more than 100 EdUHK staff members and dozens of pupils from the EdUHK Jockey Club Primary School, led by President Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, gathered at the entrance plaza for the flag-raising ceremony, followed by lowering the flag to half-mast and three minutes of silence to express deep condolences those who tragically lost their lives in the fire and to pay the highest tribute to the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice.
A simple opening ceremony was held as six coaches filled with students arrived, marking the official launch of the Centre. Students from TPBPS, who were generally in high spirits as it was their first day back at school since the incident, expressed gratitude to the President and EdUHK. The Centre is equipped with classrooms, activity areas, sports facilities, lunch spaces and staff rooms. In addition to regular lessons taught by TPBPS teachers, EdUHK staff have arranged Physical Education classes for the schoolchildren, while students from EdUHK’s Bachelor of Education programme will also conduct music and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) sessions later this week. Counsellors are also on hand to support students in coping with stress and emotional needs.
Professor Lee said in his remarks, "As a member of the Tai Po community, we hope to make good use of EdUHK’s expertise in education and psychology to support affected students and families. Guided by our mission of ‘Cultivating Virtue and Nurturing Talent,’ we are committed to contributing to the wellbeing of students and the community, and to overcoming difficulties together.”He also encouraged students to maintain confidence and hope for the future, expressing his belief that the opportunity to resume their studies at the University would provide them with valuable early experience in the university environment.
Ms Siu Ting, Principal of TPBPS, expressed her heartfelt gratitude for EdUHK’s timely support. "As long as we are together, that place becomes our campus. EdUHK’s generous provision of facilities has enabled our students to resume classes swiftly, not only addressing their most urgent needs but also embodying the spirit of solidarity and mutual support within the education sector. It has allowed our school community to truly experience the meaning of love and compassion,” she said.
Upon learning on Saturday that TPBPS needed a temporary campus, Professor John Lee Chi-Kin, and Dr Tom Fong Wing-ho, Vice President (Administration), immediately invited Principal Siu to visit the facilities. EdUHK swiftly converted the indoor sports hall into suitable classrooms, coordinated transport and catering arrangements, and finalised other logistical details, while promptly mobilising volunteer teachers, EdUHK’s psychologists, alumni, and trainee teachers, and coordinated across departments to relocate classes for nearly 300 Primary One to Primary Three pupils in a remarkably short time. Today, nearly 40 volunteer counsellors, teachers and support staff were present, alongside six EdUHK psychology experts providing professional assistance.
Upholding the spirit of “Education with Care”, EdUHK is dedicated to assisting affected students and residents, harnessing its strengths in education while collaborating closely with the government, schools, and community partners. In addition to establishing temporary support centres, Professor May Cheng May-hung, Vice President (Academic) and Professor Susanna Yeung Siu-sze, Associate Vice-President (Quality Assurance), organised three online seminars led by its psychology experts, providing teachers, students, and parents with information on common postdisaster psychological reactions, methods of crisis assessment, and basic support strategies that educators can adopt. The sessions aimed to help education professionals identify students’ emotional needs at an early stage and provide appropriate psychological support. The seminars attracted more than 1,200 participants, including principals, teachers, parents, and secondary school students.
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