Secretary for Education & Manpower Professor Arthur Li says 22 of the 41 allocated school building projects under planning will be suspended or dropped in light of the latest population projections and school enrolment situation.

Professor Li said today the move may defer the target date for converting all bi-sessional schools into whole-day operations, with the number of schools without a firm whole-day conversion plan rising to 34 from 26.

According to Census & Statistics Department projections, children aged six to 11 in 2009 will fall 8% from the 2001-based projections, to 378,000. The figure for those aged 12 to 14 will also fall 10%, to 244,000.

Taking into account public concern over projects involving cross-district relocation of primary schools, the latest enrolment of existing bi-sessional schools for which school buildings have been allocated for whole-day conversion purpose, and the scope of using vacant school premises in lieu of the construction of new school buildings to achieve the same policy objectives, the bureau has proposed to suspend 11 projects and shelve 11 under the School Building Programme.

Some preparatory work, such as feasibility studies, will cost about $5 million. However, the move will lead to $120 million savings in capital expenditure and annual recurrent savings of $13 million.

The bureau said the School Building Programme will be under constant review as circumstances may change.