After-school Care or Opt-in After-school Programmes at Secondary Schools

Mr Shawn Huang Wei Zhong asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider expanding after-school care or offer opt-in after-school programmes in all Secondary schools.

All Primary schools have student care centres for after-school care and will continue to expand places in schools where there is demand. For Secondary schools, after-school programmes and facilities are also important. All Secondary schools run a wide range of vibrant CCA and enrichment programmes for students to develop their interests, skills, character and leadership. They provide sports facilities, CCA rooms and comfortable spaces for students to use for unstructured play, group discussions and individual study.

Under the UPLIFT Community Pilot, we have identified vulnerable students in the pilot towns and referred them to community-based after-school programmes and resources, depending on their needs. This is done in partnership with public agencies, Self-Help Groups, Social Service Agencies, volunteer groups and other community organisations. We will study the findings and results of the pilot before considering how to scale this up across all schools.

Besides the UPLIFT pilot, we have also rolled out the GEAR-UP programme in Secondary schools, so as to provide vulnerable students with early intervention support. Under this programme, the Secondary schools are given more resources to set up or enhance after-school student activity spaces and introduce programmes to engage and motivate students who need them. Through customised activities that cater to students’ needs and interests, GEAR-UP strengthens protective factors like school connectedness, learning motivation and resilience. Many schools also work with community partners to offer befriending and mentoring opportunities, as well as interest-based activities.