A NEW Hong Kong-Japanese School is needed to accommodate children from the rapidly growing Japanese community in the territory.
The board of governors has applied to the Hong Kong Government for a parcel of land on which to build the school, which is proposed to have both English and Japanese streams. The board hopes for a decision next month.
When the Hong Kong-Japanese School opened in 1946 there were just 70 students and eight teachers.
Today, the primary school in Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley, has 1,500 pupils, while another 400 students are enrolled at the secondary school in Braemar Hill.
'We are at capacity,' Takeshi Komori, the administration manager, said.
Yet the Japanese community continues to grow. Last year, it was estimated at about 17,500 and the numbers increased this year by between six and seven per cent - with predictions of a continuing five to six per cent annual increase for the foreseeable future.
Even the school governors have been surprised by the rapid growth.
