GSIS and Ma On Shan

Results to the GSIS Ma On Shan Survey

HKMOM 2009 sorry for the delay in responding I just wanted to check some of the numbers before coming back to you.

The results to the survey done by the whole school regarding the move to Ma On Shan for the Pimary component of GSIS were quite telling. I have gone through the numbers and broken out specific components that are more revealing than the headline numbers that the school provided.

For the directly affected students which include all Kindergarden and Primary students both German and International

65% are against the move
20% are for the move
13% leave it up to the board to decide
2% gave no answer.

If I break this down for the German Portion of all affected Students

64% are against the move
20% are for the move
15% are leave it to the board to decide
1% gave no answer

If I break this down for the International Portion of all affected Students

67% are against the move
20% are for the move
11% are leave it to the board to decide
2% gave no answer

I have also checked the numbers in respect to adding in the staff votes as well to all the affected students and they were as follows.

All Kindergarden,all Primary and all Staff

58% are against the move
25% are for the move
15% are leave it up to the board to decide
2% gave no answer


The numbers for all Kindergarden,All Primary,all secondary and all staff.

42% are against the move
38% are for the move
19% are leave it to the board
1% gave no answer

With the above numbers I have left out the business school in that they can be easily relocated. If we assume that everyone that voted is passionate about the school and what is right for the school it would seem that the higher percentages reside with the do not move to Ma On Shan.

I would be interested in hearing others views on the above.
 
genome,

It's apparent what the parents want to do. How will the school board use this data to make their decision?

nvmom
 
NVmom thank you for responding.

What will the board do with the survey results?

I am guessing here and the below are really only my thoughts.

1) say that of course the primary school and kindergarten will vote no especially due to the fact that they are the ones most affected by the move. Therefore their vote is not a true reflection of all parents views.

2) They will probably use the same old scare tactics of "if we don't do the move we will destroy what the school stands for and seriously undermine the schools credibility." or " if we don't move the school will have to be forceably downsized." or " do you as parents really want to be responsible for the deterioration of the schools academic standing and competitiveness"

3) come out with some compromises which will seem like a solution to the problem but when explored do not really achieve anything.

4) remind us all that they are the board and have been put in place to do what is best for the school and thus have the final say.

The reason that I say this is that as far as I can see the board has staked their entire credibility and reputation on pushing through the move and the benefits that will be derived from such a move.

I would be very interested to hear other parents thoughts on what the board is going to do with the survey results
 
Its not just that the board is unwilling to listen to parents concerns and look at alternative options, but right from the start, the authorities have been making statements like "We understand that each of you need to make decisions in the best interest of your family." In effect, right from day one they have been saying "if you want to leave, leave ...."

So my ques now is - what are our options? Which other international schools should we be looking at?
 
Mumoftwo thank you for responding. Couple of things.

There is all the talk of moving primary to MOS but what about if secondary moved? would parents of secondary students be willing to have their kids go out to MOS? Would you see the same kind of opposition? My guess is that you would and I am sure that if you suggested Secondary to move to MOS the board would come up with a million reasons as to why this could not happen. I would like to hear what those reasons would be in that there must be solutions. Or does the board not even want to go there due to the fact that this could face the same opposition?

To answer your question though.

If you are part of the German stream you have no choice!

If you are part of the international stream your options would be such places as HKIS, Canadian School, Singapore International School, Any of the ESF schools, Kellett and the French School. This are just off the top of my head and there may be others.
 
If the proposed redevelopment plan goes ahead, we will be worst affected as our kids will have to go to Pokfulam, MOS and the Peak separately. We are long term expats in HK and are still in a dilemma whether to relocate our home to midway between MOS and our workplace in Central. We are sorry to see a few kids leaving GSIS to join other schools. We share the same predicament with all GSIS parents. However, we wld like to share our past experience and caution all existing and prospective GSIS parents before they decide to rule out the school. Our kids went to a few other schools in HK (incl other reputable int'l schools) prior to joining GSIS. From our experience, GSIS is still by far the best school we've come across in HK. We have seen our kids thrive in excellence socially, academically and in character albeit a tough regime in respect of discipline. This has a lot to do with the quality of teachers and school curriculum, efficient administration of the school and composition of parents and kids of like fighting spirit etc. We wld urge all parents and teachers to stay together and try to make this work, even if it may mean making certain sacrifices eventually. We understand from some of the parents who have left the school that they are not entirely happy with the other schools, esp having experienced the GSIS approach and culture. We can empathise because we?ve been out there before. By HK standards, the school debenture and fees (even if they are increased again albeit the current financial turmoil) and location are secondary to getting into a school with world class reputation. We understand from various sources that there is still a long waiting list of prospective students who are willing to go through the rigid entry assessment regardless of the move to MOS. Please let your kids stay irrespective of the outcome. Your kids love their school and friends.
 
myview thank you very much for joining the conversation re the MOS move.

Firsltly let me say that I really feel for you that you will have children in all three campuses and are thinking of having to move house . This must really be a difficult situation to be in.

I think that everyone agrees with you that the school is one of the highest ranked schools in Hong Kong. All parents want the school to flourish and to continue being one of the best in Hong Kong. Many of the parents that are against the move to MOS are active members of the school and the GSIS community as a whole. They feel part of the GSIS and only have the best interests of the whole school in mind.

The issue is that these same parents, that are against the move to MOS, do not see this as an acceptable solution for the current problem. I am also now hearing there is the possibility of the primary going to MOS for two years then come back to the Peak site having had no benefit from rebuilding. (They will just go back in to their old classes.) I have also heard, which is even worse still, go to MOS for two years and then be decanted in to another site while the final two years of the rebuild occur.

Is this really the best way forward for the development of young inquisitive minds or the development of the school as a whole?

I think parents who are opposed to the move to MOS will vote by withdrawing their children from the school. They will do this because they feel that the long term benefits do not outweigh the short term risks. This will cause the GSIS community to change forever.
 
Thanks. Just wld like to clarify to the readers that there is still a significant number of parents who oppose to the move to MOS who would still stay with the school. To these parents, the current dialogue with the school (no matter how difficult it seems) is intended to explore how we can make it easier for all parties. These parents are committed to explore various options to configure any problem solving process in order to adapt to various potential inconveniences relating to the plan without necessarily giving the school the ultimatum. These parents have also been to EDB, Exco members etc and still have been unable to secure a suitable site fr the Govt. Wld also like to clarify that there hasn't been and isn't going to be an exodus of students leaving the school. Parents need to decide what works best for themselves and many still intend to stay with the school.
 
myview thank you for coming back.

I agree that at the end of the day it will be up to the specific parents to decide what they would like to do. Go to MOS or find another alternative. I like many other parents have also joined in in trying to find compromises and solutions to this specific predicament and hope that we can come to some type of resolution or compromise that suits all. I think GSIS is a fantasic school that comprise a great community and a great set of teachers and truely believe that it is worth preserving. Collectively we should come to some resolution. It is just for me MOS if it happens is not something that I can foster on my child and will make my choice accordingly.
 
I am prepared to send my kid to Ma On Shan so long as GSIS remains one of the top schools in Hong Kong. I see a lot of children crossing the border everyday from China in order to attend schools in Hong Kong. Many of them are young kids. They travel for hours and the schools they go to are not really top-notch. Our inconvenience is nothing comparing with theirs. Furthermore, any sacrifice we make will hopefully help to make GSIS a better school. The school has said many times that if we turn down this Ma On Shan site, there won't be any other site available on Hong Kong Island or close to the harbour crossing in the next 2 or 3 years. What really worries me is whether this indecision or delay is going to affect the quality of education provided by the school especially in view of the fact that we are going to make a change to IB pretty soon. Before coming to GSIS, my kid also attended another international school. Believe me, you don't really know how lucky you are to be in GSIS unless you've been to another school. I am sure a lot of people out there really hope that there will be an exodus of students from GSIS so that their kids can get in.
 
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