Students wearing masks return to Fukien Secondary School for the start of the school year yesterday. Edmond Tang

HONG KONG: Thousands of students flocked to campuses yesterday at the end of a long summer vacation. As classes resume, schools are well-equipped to prevent transmission of A (H1N1) influenza. Despite this, two schools were advised to shut down on the first day of the new term owing to an outbreak.

Hong Kong Japanese School (junior secondary session) in North Point and primary school of Renaissance College in Sha Tin, with 39 and 50 students caught by the bug respectively, were forced to close for seven days.

It is the second time since May that Renaissance College has suspended classes due to the epidemic.

On Monday two other institutions were ordered to close for a week.

AT Ying Wa College in Sham Shui Po, 21 boys developed flu-like symptoms after attending a course. The school had to postpone the beginning of the term in Form One for seven days.

Principal Roger Lee Chee-wah said all Form One classrooms have been thoroughly sanitized.

"The Form One students were infected before school opening, so the Department of Health advised us to suspend only Form One classes. We have to strike a balance between health and learning," Lee said.

To prevent the spread of the v irus, Tsz Wan Shan Catholic Primary School cancelled morning assembly of Primary Two to Six classes.

"The assembly takes a long time and the area will be overcrowded. We are not sure about the health condition of students after the long recess, so we allow them to go back to classrooms directly to help teachers grasp the situation," the school explained.

Liu Ah-chuen, chairman of Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, said all schools have adopted stringent measures to prevent the spread of swine flu, including sanitation and providing alcohol gel.

Liu found the current guidelines for suspending classes upon an outbreak appropriate.

"It is more important that schools report to the health authorities once students are infected and they take sufficient precautionary measures," he said.

In view of the critical challenges to schools in the new academic year, Secretary for Education Michael Suen reminded educators to keep up their guard.

He called on frontline staff to follow guidelines and measures set out by the bureau and by health authorities.

Meanwhile, the Pegasus Philip Wong Kin Hang Christian Primary School- cum-Junior Secondary School, taken over by the Fukien Chamber of Commerce Education Fund, reopened yesterday under its new management.

Principal Thomas Lee Poon-shing described his feeling over the past few months as "a running roller coaster". He said the institute's affairs previously had been a mess.

Lam Kin-wah, principal of the Fukien Secondary School, said among the 520 pupils, 410 were from the Yau Tong school.

The school retained 41 teachers, some at increased salaries.

Lam said about HK$7.25 million has been invested to enhance resources for students, including library and computer facilities.

Parents of students at the school generally expressed confidence in the administrative structure.

(HK Edition 09/02/2009 page1)