Cross-Boundary Students (CBS)

In 2008, there are approximately 6000 children who cross the border from Shenzhen to attend schools in Hong Kong  http://paper.wenweipo.com/2007/10/18/HK0710180056.htm  

The CBS are disadvantaged by the long school traveling hours going back and forth across the border http://hk.news.yahoo.com/070903/60/2ex7a.html .  During their journey, the students need to get off the school bus, have their visas checked, and then exchange to a different bus to go to the school in Hong Kong.  This not only raises a lot of safety issues http://www.szxf.net/Article/q1/sz2007/200709/68035.html but also causes a concern for their co-curricular participation as they need to observe the rigid school bus timetable. They usually leave school immediately after formal class http://paper.wenweipo.com/2007/12/10/NS0712100001.htm .

Owing to their restricted exposure to Hong Kong society, although they are in between the two different cultures every day, many of them are unfamiliar with the larger environment of Hong Kong. They may be confident in making their cross-border journeys to and from schools, have little problem in the spoken Cantonese and traditional Chinese characters, these of themselves remain inadequate to create a sense of belonging.

CBS are full Hong Kong citizens and should enjoy the full entitlements to quality education. They are important human resources to the future development of Hong Kong society. http://www.taipolst.edu.hk/teacher_garden/chu07/chu_081207.htm ; Equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to live in between the two mainland-Hong Kong cultures will help develop their intercultural competence and facilitate full social participation. From an education perspective, we need to provide more educational support measures for them to be active learners, citizens and members of the Hong Kong society. This project is only the beginning.