GSIS and Ma On Shan
- Thread starter genome
- Start date
I could go on and on and on but there is no point. The board still does not get it all you have to do is to look at the last lines of the letter.
"We ask for your confidence and trust in the Board’s decision for the development of the campus."
"GSIS deserves our united support."
No one trusts the board and no one has any faith in the boards decison making process. How about the board supporting the wishes of the parents and what they would like for their children. This is not about leaving some kind of monumet or legacy for Mr.Bucholtz, Dr Green and the board by creating their grand vision of the school. This is about the education of our children here and now and what is best for them.
It amuses me that when I mentioned the whole GSIS debacle to a friend of mine one of the first things they asked me was "who was getting paid to push this through." the other statement I hear a lot when I tell people that my child goes to GSIS is "I am so sorry to hear this."
I would just like to personally thank the board for turning GSIS in to a laughing stock and managing to destroy the once credible reputation of the school
"We ask for your confidence and trust in the Board’s decision for the development of the campus."
"GSIS deserves our united support."
No one trusts the board and no one has any faith in the boards decison making process. How about the board supporting the wishes of the parents and what they would like for their children. This is not about leaving some kind of monumet or legacy for Mr.Bucholtz, Dr Green and the board by creating their grand vision of the school. This is about the education of our children here and now and what is best for them.
It amuses me that when I mentioned the whole GSIS debacle to a friend of mine one of the first things they asked me was "who was getting paid to push this through." the other statement I hear a lot when I tell people that my child goes to GSIS is "I am so sorry to hear this."
I would just like to personally thank the board for turning GSIS in to a laughing stock and managing to destroy the once credible reputation of the school
I guess with the lack of replies to the poll being carried out on this site and the lack of responses to this thread the parents have resigned themselves to the fact that their kids will now have to travel to MOS to get an education from GSIS.
This saddens me but I guess we all have to make our choices.
I would like to thank all who have read this site and there were more than 10,500 hits. I am sure that this has included members of the board, the chairman and the principal so they would have been in no doubt as to the strong opposition to the move. But then again they would have know this by the vote that let me remind everyone the parents WON.
The board has taken the step to go against the wishes of the parents who cared by showing up to the meeting or by giving a proxy. I hope in their infinite wisdom the board have made the right choice.
Only time will tell.
Thank you everyone.
Genome
This saddens me but I guess we all have to make our choices.
I would like to thank all who have read this site and there were more than 10,500 hits. I am sure that this has included members of the board, the chairman and the principal so they would have been in no doubt as to the strong opposition to the move. But then again they would have know this by the vote that let me remind everyone the parents WON.
The board has taken the step to go against the wishes of the parents who cared by showing up to the meeting or by giving a proxy. I hope in their infinite wisdom the board have made the right choice.
Only time will tell.
Thank you everyone.
Genome
Genome, I am not associated with the school, however, I know a reasonable amount about what hjas been going on.
I completely understand parents not wanting to send their kids to MoS. Whilst you are correct that parents are concerned about the here and now, it is the board's responsibliity to also look to the long term.
The bigger problem is the government's slow feet in making appropriate land available.
For example, as far as I know, Island School needs a complete re-build. The government owns two big tracts of land right behind the school - this land has been vacant since October 2003, but they will not make it available even on a short term basis for the school. They really have their heads in the sand when it comes to the needs of our children, and the demands of HK taxpaying parents for more schools not confined by the ridiculous demands of the HK curriculum.
If you express your frustration to the Board, you may wish to consider making your thoughts known to both the EB and and Lands Department.
I personally know of five schools who have been trying to get land for years (more than four years in one case - nearly seven years in another). They are limited by plot ratios, have huge waiting lists, but still the government does not act. Crazy.
I completely understand parents not wanting to send their kids to MoS. Whilst you are correct that parents are concerned about the here and now, it is the board's responsibliity to also look to the long term.
The bigger problem is the government's slow feet in making appropriate land available.
For example, as far as I know, Island School needs a complete re-build. The government owns two big tracts of land right behind the school - this land has been vacant since October 2003, but they will not make it available even on a short term basis for the school. They really have their heads in the sand when it comes to the needs of our children, and the demands of HK taxpaying parents for more schools not confined by the ridiculous demands of the HK curriculum.
If you express your frustration to the Board, you may wish to consider making your thoughts known to both the EB and and Lands Department.
I personally know of five schools who have been trying to get land for years (more than four years in one case - nearly seven years in another). They are limited by plot ratios, have huge waiting lists, but still the government does not act. Crazy.
Thank you happy v appreciate your comments.
The same parents that organized the vote against MOS also approached the education bureau who said they would look in to the case as long as GSIS board and parents could agree on what they wanted to do.
I am surprised that the Education bureau accepted GSIS signing the lease in that they to know that the parents are against MOS.
The board also did not apply for any of the land grants that were made available by the chief executive. Which to me seemed kind of strange but then again they do work in a very strange way.
On making their decision the board hid behind some jargon about how they had the right to make the decision which I am sure the by laws say they do but it just makes no sense that they do not respect the wishes of the GSIS community. Which made it crystal clear that they in no shape or form wanted GSIS elementary to have the campus in MOS as proven by the vote.
The school has supposedly been looking for land for 10 years to expand which in my mind just seems way to long for a board that was on the ball and knows how to get things done and plan for the future. Maybe it is time for a new board that can action things and make things happen?
But at the end of the day what can you do when the board feels they can run the school as their own private club and what they say counts and the opinions of others mean nothing.
The same parents that organized the vote against MOS also approached the education bureau who said they would look in to the case as long as GSIS board and parents could agree on what they wanted to do.
I am surprised that the Education bureau accepted GSIS signing the lease in that they to know that the parents are against MOS.
The board also did not apply for any of the land grants that were made available by the chief executive. Which to me seemed kind of strange but then again they do work in a very strange way.
On making their decision the board hid behind some jargon about how they had the right to make the decision which I am sure the by laws say they do but it just makes no sense that they do not respect the wishes of the GSIS community. Which made it crystal clear that they in no shape or form wanted GSIS elementary to have the campus in MOS as proven by the vote.
The school has supposedly been looking for land for 10 years to expand which in my mind just seems way to long for a board that was on the ball and knows how to get things done and plan for the future. Maybe it is time for a new board that can action things and make things happen?
But at the end of the day what can you do when the board feels they can run the school as their own private club and what they say counts and the opinions of others mean nothing.
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genome - GSIS has bid on a number of sites - particularly the sites in Shum Wan that went to the Singaopre International School and Victoria Shanghai Academy. All th school can do is put in a bid - then it is up to the government to decide.
There are parts of the school that were run down ten years ago - at some point, the school has to act: I really do understand your points. and I wouldn;t register my child for the school under those circumstances. But in the long term (which is not your concern) I think the redevlopment will be worth while.
There are parts of the school that were run down ten years ago - at some point, the school has to act: I really do understand your points. and I wouldn;t register my child for the school under those circumstances. But in the long term (which is not your concern) I think the redevlopment will be worth while.
I too wouldn't have my younger kid transferred to GSIS this year, but it's for a totally different reason. She is studying in another IS and my original plan was to have her joined her elder sister at GSIS as soon as possible. The reason why I have changed my mind is really due to the indecision of the Board. The Board is saying publicly that the quality of education is going to decline if the school doesn't undertake the redevelopment work. There is no way I am going to take the risk and send my second kid to a school whose quality of education might go down. I live in Pokfulam area so to have my kid travelling to MOS is not exactly a short trip either. But I see it as a necessary evil. I am more concerned about what will happen to the school in the long run than the short term travelling arrangement. I am waiting to see if the Board is fully committed to its decision and put its plan in action. If it is, then I will switch my kid to GSIS immediately as I am happy with the school, but she will have to endure the inconvenience. I wouldn't wait until the redevelopment is finished because by then the waiting list is likely to get even longer. There is really no "right" or "wrong", "winner" or "loser" in this matter. It's just that everybody has a different consideration and priority. At the end of the day, we must decide what we think is the best for our kids based on our own criteria and act accordingly.
Happy V completely agree that in the long run it will benefit the school. It is just that the way they went about it was completely wrong. The parents still feel that there is a choice and that things can get done that would be better than MOS. The problem is the board were not wiling to listen to anything that the parents were willing to offer. It seemed very much their way or the high way.
Happy hour there is a right and wrong in this matter from the point of view of how this was handled by the board. It was one of the worst PR exercises I have ever seen. Especially when you have someone like doctor Green the principal admonishing new parents in a public forum, who were not told of the move before joining, for not reading the web site.
I guess what will be will be but I do not see the parents giving up easily in their fight to stop the MOS move and I don't think that this is the last that we have heard of it.
Happy hour there is a right and wrong in this matter from the point of view of how this was handled by the board. It was one of the worst PR exercises I have ever seen. Especially when you have someone like doctor Green the principal admonishing new parents in a public forum, who were not told of the move before joining, for not reading the web site.
I guess what will be will be but I do not see the parents giving up easily in their fight to stop the MOS move and I don't think that this is the last that we have heard of it.
genome,
I have never counted them out and that's part of the reason why I say I am still waiting. I am aware of the possibility that the opposing parents might start a legal action or try to overthrow the Board altogether. Or else they might simply withdraw their kids from the school. I believe they are fully entitled to take these actions if they feel that they have been wronged. It's of course a costly exercise to engage in a legal battle against the Board, but since some of the parents might have no problem with money and some could be lawyers themselves, so it shouldn't be too big a problem for them. As regard to the 2nd possibility (that is, to remove the existing board members and replace them with new ones), my only wish is that the opposing parents will find someone who are prepared to commit themselves to the work of being board members on a long term basis. If these people will continue to dedicate their time and effort to serve on the board long after their kids leave school, I think it's OK. Regarding the 3rd move (ie to switch their kids to another school), I also think that every parent has a right to withdraw his kid from the school if he is not happy with what is happening there or if he has a better choice. In fact, I too am monitoring the situation closely and I am ready to switch my elder kid to another school anytime if there is any sign that the quality of education is going down. I hope that the opposing parents will confine their actions to the above 3 moves which I think are legitimate and I also hope that they will make their move as soon as possible because the longer the delay the bigger a disruption will be caused to the school.
I have never counted them out and that's part of the reason why I say I am still waiting. I am aware of the possibility that the opposing parents might start a legal action or try to overthrow the Board altogether. Or else they might simply withdraw their kids from the school. I believe they are fully entitled to take these actions if they feel that they have been wronged. It's of course a costly exercise to engage in a legal battle against the Board, but since some of the parents might have no problem with money and some could be lawyers themselves, so it shouldn't be too big a problem for them. As regard to the 2nd possibility (that is, to remove the existing board members and replace them with new ones), my only wish is that the opposing parents will find someone who are prepared to commit themselves to the work of being board members on a long term basis. If these people will continue to dedicate their time and effort to serve on the board long after their kids leave school, I think it's OK. Regarding the 3rd move (ie to switch their kids to another school), I also think that every parent has a right to withdraw his kid from the school if he is not happy with what is happening there or if he has a better choice. In fact, I too am monitoring the situation closely and I am ready to switch my elder kid to another school anytime if there is any sign that the quality of education is going down. I hope that the opposing parents will confine their actions to the above 3 moves which I think are legitimate and I also hope that they will make their move as soon as possible because the longer the delay the bigger a disruption will be caused to the school.
I am so glad to hear from concerned people again. I really do not hope that the MOS incident just ends as disappointing as it is... thou always have that thought reserved.
Surely, a legal action or any other strong opposition is not ideal for both parents and the school. Yet, the school board, the EDB, people have to start listening to what is wise for the students.
HK education has been drowning itself for the past 10 years locally. IS and some well-known local school seem to be the last frontier towards outer competition. The future depends on how well how children are being educated and not how big the cafe is. One cannot imagine how low the language standard here in HK is. A form 5 local student cannot even write 1 page decent correct Eng paper, needless to say about communicating in Eng or Mandarin.
Why do our children spend 3 hrs daily back and forth MOS instead of taking an extra mandarin lesson to equip themselves from the "future threat" from Shanghai.
Why can't people just face the reality for once. There is no edge for HK in 20 yrs time. Time is very valuable in today's world. What is more important????
Surely, a legal action or any other strong opposition is not ideal for both parents and the school. Yet, the school board, the EDB, people have to start listening to what is wise for the students.
HK education has been drowning itself for the past 10 years locally. IS and some well-known local school seem to be the last frontier towards outer competition. The future depends on how well how children are being educated and not how big the cafe is. One cannot imagine how low the language standard here in HK is. A form 5 local student cannot even write 1 page decent correct Eng paper, needless to say about communicating in Eng or Mandarin.
Why do our children spend 3 hrs daily back and forth MOS instead of taking an extra mandarin lesson to equip themselves from the "future threat" from Shanghai.
Why can't people just face the reality for once. There is no edge for HK in 20 yrs time. Time is very valuable in today's world. What is more important????