DSEDJ brushes off responsibility over rainstorm signals

The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) refuted yesterday any responsibility over the timing of weather condition warnings for parents and schools.
Speaking to the media during a briefing after the Non-Higher Education Committee Plenary Meeting, the Chief of the Department on Non-Higher Education from DSEDJ, Wong Ka Ki explained that the Bureau has no power in the issuing of severe weather warnings, noting that the task is the sole responsibility of the Meteorological and Geophysics Bureau (SMG).
“The timing of the issuing of the [rainstorm] signal is a competency of the SMG. We can’t control this. It is out of our competency,” Wong said, adding, “We received the information from SMG at 7:50 a.m. and we immediately issued a notice for the students, parents, and schools. We became aware of the issuing of the red level warning of a rainstorm at this time, which is the same time that the media gets it.”
The official brushed off any responsibility on the part of the Bureau in response to criticisms on social media from parents and guardians that the warning issued yesterday morning came too late, at a time when most students had already arrived at school or were on their way.
“We have issued a warning to the parents and schools and also alerted the schools to keep the doors open in case students were coming to school,” the department chief added. Wong noted that the DSEDJ had also previously communicated with schools regarding the need to introduce some degree of flexibility and tolerance where students arrived late to school during the yellow level of the rainstorm warning signal.
“We have already issued these recommendations to the schools,” Wong said noting that the Bureau has received “a few inquiries from parents on this matter.”

Bureau preparing adjustments ahead of new teachers’ statute enforcement

The DSEDJ is currently preparing the adjustments needed for the administrative regulations to match the provisions of the new teachers’ statute (Law 4/2021), approved in late April by the Legislative Assembly and published last month in the government official gazette.
According to the Chief of the Department on Non-Higher Education from DSEDJ, Wong Ka Ki, the bureau is already preparing the necessary amendments to be ready before the entry into force of the new law, which will come into effect from September 1, 2022.