The cold weather means they must prepare for upcoming exams in icy classrooms and conservative rules
Schools aren’t doing enough to keep classrooms warm during the current cold spell, students say.
After temperatures fell on Monday, students had to bring in extra clothing and hot drinks to cope.
The Hong Kong Observatory recorded lows of around eight degrees Celsius today. At midday, temperatures in urban areas like Kowloon and Hong Kong Island were between six and nine degrees, but gradually rose to a high of 13 degrees Celsius.
Sha Tin College student Leeann Tong, 16, said that students at her school couldn’t do anything except wear more clothes, bundling up in scarves and thick coats.
Eunice Yip, a Pooi To Middle School student, said she and her classmates were also taking measures to keep themselves warm.
“It is currently examination time and it would be nice to have some hot drinks like hot chocolate. But we aren’t allowed to use hot water because it is considered too dangerous,” said Eunice, 17.
“Instead, I usually bring a thermos flask and warm eggs to school to keep myself warm,” she said.
The cold weather is due to last for the rest of the week, said Lee Kwok-lun, a scientific officer at the Observatory. Strong winter monsoon winds will hit southern China over the next couple of days, causing cloudy, dry weather until Friday.
Lee added that this period of cold weather is the lowest since January 24, 2016, when temperatures dropped to 3.1 degrees Celsius.
Luckily, the weather will improve over the weekend and into next week, with dry, sunny periods. Minimum temperatures will rise to between 10 and 18 degrees, with maximum temperatures of 15 to 22 degrees.