Parking Charges in School during COVID-19 Pandemic and Home-based Learning Days

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Education (a) whether teachers continue to be charged for school parking charges during periods of home-based learning; (b) whether any waivers of parking charges can be considered during these challenging times; and (c) whether the Ministry is looking into whether to continue charging teachers for parking on school premises.

Let me first clarify a possible misperception that our teachers do not come to school during periods of home-based learning (HBL). Even during HBL, some of our teachers continue to return to schools, to support and care for high needs students who still come to school. Others are also allowed to come back to schools if this is more convenient for them to conduct their HBL lessons or to prepare lessons for our students.

I thank all our educators for their dedication to their mission and call of duty and for their quick adaptation to the many changes throughout these last two difficult years. Despite the heightened demands, they have displayed exemplary professionalism and care to focus on the well-being of our students. We will continue to take care of our educators so that they can take care of our students and we will want to do so in appropriate ways in matters that concern their career development and well-being.

On the issue of parking which the Member has raised, Government and Statutory Boards, including schools, are required to implement market-rate parking charges. This arose from previous AGO audit observations. Given the long-term nature of season parking, season parking rates are not waived or refunded due to partial use. This applies to all Government-managed car parks, even if the season parking holder does not physically come into the office on certain days due to work from home or hybrid work arrangements. Hence, the parking rates are worked out on the basis of a flat monthly charge, with no pro-rating or waiver for days when there are days of non-usage. This also means that the monthly season rates typically translate to a fairly reasonable pricing, which is certainly the case for school season parking, as compared to alternative time-based parking options at nearby public carparks.