The 63-year-old school in the Kowloon district, run by the Sisters Announcers of the Lord, issued notices to parents and alumni on Tuesday to inform them about the decision.
Students of Church-run Tak Nga Primary School in Hong Kong are seen in this file image. The authorities decided to close the school gradually by 2028 due to a decline in student admission and lack of qualified staff caused by an emigration wave. (Photo: Tak Nga Primary School website)
Media reports say this is the first school in the former British colony that is likely to close since the authorities enacted Beijing-imposed national security law in 2020 to suppress dissent and a pro-democracy movement. Observers say if the current trends continue more schools will be forced to cease operations in the future.
The government figures showed only 32,500 babies were born last year while the schools have the capacity to enroll 50,000 students in grade one every year. In the 2021-22 academic year around 5,000 students left kindergartens, and about 10,000 and 15,000 students quit primary and secondary schools respectively. About 4,000 teachers have also left their jobs.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha dissolved parliament on Monday, and announced general election in May. Reports say the former army chief who seized power in 2014 is aiming to extend the army-backed rule.
During the election, Prayut will face challenges from Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been in exile for more than a decade. Shinawatra is leading in opinion polls as the frontrunner, but the 2017 constitution scripted by the military is likely to make it hard for her to secure the top post.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha (third from right) walks in front of the Golden Buddha statue as he visits Khao Kong temple in Narathiwat district, southern Thailand, on March 15. (Photo: AFP)
In the polls published on last Sunday, Prayut secured third place with 15 percent – way behind Shinawatra at 38 percent. Under the army-drafted 2017 constitution, the prime minister is chosen by the 500 elected lower-house MPs as well as 250 military-appointed senators.
Thailand has seen more than a dozen coups since 1932, and the military-royalist establishment is a major force.
The Cambodian government has slammed the European Union for adopting a resolution that demands all political prisoners be freed and the shuttered independent news outlet, Voice of Democracy, be reinstated ahead of the July elections. The Foreign Ministry said the claims disrespect Cambodia’s independence and sovereign rights.
Last week, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on the respect for human rights in Iran, Tunisia, and Cambodia. The resolution asked Cambodia to release all political prisoners including the opposition leader Kem Sokha.
Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session during a plenary session in Strasbourg, eastern France, on March 14. (Photo:AFP)
The former president of the outlawed Cambodia National Rescue Party was found guilty of treason and attempting to mount a color revolution earlier in March and sentenced to 27 years under house arrest and banned from politics for life.
It followed the closure of the media outlet by Prime Minister Hun Sen last month for upsetting his son, Hun Manet, over a disputed quote concerning an aid package for Turkey.
Salesian nuns in the South Korean capital Seoul have started selling traditional fish-shaped cakes on the street as part of a fundraising campaign for children in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria.
The Salesian Education and Spirituality Center launched the sales of taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped pastry with red bean filling, at the beginning of March. The nuns sell taiyaki twice a week and it is to be continued throughout the month.
Children from a local school enjoy freshly baked pastries from nuns at the Salesian Education and Spirituality Center at Singil-dong of Seoul as part of a fundraising campaign for children in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria. (Photo: Catholic Times of Korea)
The proceeds from sales will be delivered to a community of Salesian nuns in Syria to be used for children affected by the devastating quake in the Middle Eastern countries.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February left an estimated 56,000 dead, injured more than 125,000 people, displaced 2.4 million, and affected as many as 24 million people in Turkey and Syria. Since the earthquake, about 850,000 children remain displaced. About 6.5 million children needed humanitarian aid due to ongoing conflict even before earthquake hit.
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