Hong Kong Students Stop the Budget Cut!

BREAKING NEWS: Last night, about 80 Hong Kong students sit in protest in front the Legislative Council Building to stop the proposal of the education budget cut. 60 out of the students are from the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd). HKIEd will faced 33% of the total budget cut for the trianum begin from 2005 to 2007.

Before the sit in protest in front of the Legislative Council Building, abuot 800 students from HKIEd gathered in their campus to mourn about the death of the education. HKIEd established 10 years ago with the mission to train the teachers for the education in Hong Kong. They consider as the core support for the education in Hong Kong.

However, with the 33% budget cut, not only students came out to protest but lecturers and professors. They stand together with the students to stop the budget cut.

Hong Kong Federation of Students (HKFS), the member of ASA, call the student unions from different universities to show their solidarity to the HKIEd students and lecturers. They had the overnight sit in protest in front the Legco Building since 8.00pm.

The ASA secretariat Rey and Khai Loon also presented in the protest. We delivered our solidarity and support to the Hong Kong students when such a severe crisis to the education happened to them.

More interesting, this morning Legislative Council Education Committee meeting rejected the proposal from the Head of the Education and Manpower Bureau, Arthur Li. When we attended the meeting, we watched how different representatives from university staff associations, student unions and even the alumni of the universities, ciriticised the act of the government.

The members of the Legco at last also rejected the proposal from the Education and Manpower Bureau. They all call Arthur Li to resubmit a proposal that suit to the interest of the people and the education.

This is the joyful moment for many students and university staffs. Many other also showed their satisfaction with the result even they stayed overnight under the cold weather in front the Legco Building. Some of the Legco members even congratulate the students for their steadfast campaign.

It's the remarkable moment in the history of the student movement in Hong Kong!