A Hong Kong secondary school facing student backlash over newly tightened mobile phone rules has said it will seek further feedback from stakeholders and review the policy’s scope and implementation.
A source also told the South China Morning Post on Wednesday that Kwun Tong Maryknoll College had planned to extend the policy to all students after launching a pilot scheme for Form Three and Four students.
In a letter to parents on Tuesday, principal Caroline Sin Nga-lam said the school had noted differing views from students and parents on the new rules, which are set to take effect in the coming weeks.
The new policy will ban Form Three and Four pupils from using mobile phones on campus and require devices to be stored in lockers, accessible only during designated time slots. Violators would receive four demerits each time and those found with a phone would have their devices confiscated.
“The school will further solicit feedback from all stakeholders in the near future and review the scope, implementation details and related arrangements for appropriate adjustments,” Sin said.
“The school will provide parents with an update on the follow-up direction as soon as possible after completing the initial review,” the principal added, stopping short of revealing a time frame.
The insider said the school held a question-and-answer session during lunchtime on Tuesday after the incident was widely reported by the media.
He added that the school told attendees that the policy was intended to cover students from all forms in the future, but it had planned to implement it first for Form Three and Four students in mid-May on a trial basis.
“The question is why Form Three and Four students were treated as guinea pigs. The school presented data to try to justify it, but it was simply because a particular group of students repeatedly violated the rules and were caught,” he said.
The school said the measures aimed to “promote student self-discipline, reduce classroom distractions and lower the risk of mobile phone loss and theft”.
The Education Bureau, which said earlier that it had immediately contacted the school to understand the situation and follow up on the matter after learning of the new rules, was approached for comment regarding the latest developments.
The new rules, announced in a circular issued on April 30, sparked an outcry among students on social media.
A group of students then organised a joint petition opposing the new policy, saying it had already raised concerns among parents and students.
The petition stated that the policy lacked consultation and communication, and that its implementation details were inconvenient and unreasonable.
It urged the school to suspend the policy and consider the views of students and parents in exploring reasonable ways to manage mobile phone use.