Back to school: Professor Arthur Li announces that junior secondary school grades will resume classes on Monday.

Junior secondary school grades will resume classes on Monday, Secretary for Education & Manpower Professor Arthur Li said today.

Students of secondary one and two levels will resume classes, whereas class suspension for primary, special schools and kindergartens will be extended.

Speaking at a press briefing today, Professor Li said the Government will closely monitor the development of atypical pneumonia so as to determine the class-resumption arrangements for primary schools, special schools and kindergartens.

To facilitate the full resumption of classes in secondary schools, the Education & Manpower Bureau will strengthen its support and publicity by issuing guidelines, supplying extra resources and providing up-to-date information.

The bureau started providing each secondary school with two more thermometers and additional probe covers yesterday; primary schools and special schools will be given the items from tomorrow, Professor Li added.

Since primary schools will continue suspending classes and most of them are unable to have their second-term examinations, the bureau will change the arrangements for Secondary School Places Allocation. 

The requirement for primary schools to submit primary six students' second-term internal examination results for assessment will be cancelled, Deputy Secretary Cheng Yan-chee explained.

Instead, the bureau will use their internal exam results in primary five's second term and primary six's first term for assessment, he added.

Meanwhile, institutions and community members have made contributions aimed at helping to prevent the disease from spreading on school campuses.

Among them is a Hong Kong Jockey Club donation of $100 million to secondary, primary and special schools for hiring cleaning workers and purchase supplies.