Closing schools is not on the Government’s agenda, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng says, adding the Secondary One student population will rise again in a few years.

Speaking to reporters today, Mr Ng said his bureau had put interim measures in place in response to the drop in the Secondary One student population. These included having smaller classes and retaining surplus teachers, to maintain education capacity to prepare for the forecast rise in student numbers.

In the meantime, teachers can use extra time for training, to raise their teaching quality, Mr Ng said.