For discussion PWSC(95-96)67
on 10 January 1996

ITEM FOR PUBLIC WORKS SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 703 - BUILDINGS
Education - Tertiary/other
56ET - A skills opportunity school at area 18, Fanling

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the upgrading of 56ET to Category A at an estimated cost of $54.1 million in money-of-the-day prices for the construction of a skills opportunity school at area 18, Fanling.

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PROBLEM
PROPOSAL
PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE
JUSTIFICATION
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
LAND ACQUISITION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
56ET - A skills opportunity school in area 18, Fanling

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PROBLEM

The Director of Education (D of E) estimates that there is a territory-wide shortfall of skills opportunity school (SOS) places.

PROPOSAL

2. The Director of Architectural Services (D Arch S), with the support of the Secretary for Education and Manpower, proposes to upgrade 56ET to Category A at an estimated cost of $54.1 million in money-of-the-day (MOD) prices for the construction of a SOS at area 18, Fanling.

PROJECT SCOPE AND NATURE

3. The proposed school will comprise -

1. 15 classrooms;
2. 12 workshops/special rooms;
3. a resource room;
4. a remedial teaching room;
5. a student activity centre;
6. two interview rooms;
7. two staff rooms;
8. a staff common room;
9. four offices for social workers; and
10. a hall and ancillary facilities.

JUSTIFICATION

4. D of E estimates the territory-wide demand for SOS places to be 2 300. At present, there are three SOSs in Hong Kong, namely the C.C.C. Nim Tsi School (in Kowloon), the Fortress Hill Methodist School (in Hong Kong Island East), the Yuen Long Catholic Secondary School (in Yuen Long), which provide a total of 900 places. To meet the shortfall of 1 400 places, we plan to build five additional SOSs in line with the recommendations of the Education Commission Report No. 4. The proposed school in Fanling will provide 300 places. We will build another four SOSs : two in the New Territories (Tsing Yi and Tuen Mun), one in Hong Kong Island South (Ap Lei Chau) and one in Kowloon East (Diamond Hill) to meet the remaining shortfall.

5. Due to insufficient in-house staff resources, D Arch S proposes to use consultants to undertake contract administration and site supervision for the construction stage.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6. We estimate the capital cost of the project to be $54.1 million in MOD prices (see paragraph 7 below), made up as follows -

7. Subject to approval, we will phase expenditure as follows -

8. We derive the MOD estimate on the basis of the Government's forecasts of trend labour and construction prices over the period between 1996 and 2000. We will tender the works under a fixed-price lump-sum contract because we can define clearly the scope of works in advance, leaving little room for uncertainty.

9. We estimate the annually recurrent expenditure to be $17.1 million.

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

10. We consulted the North District Board in July 1994. The District Board supported the project.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS

11. The Director of Environmental Protection conducted an Environmental Review in January 1995. The findings indicated that the classroom and special room blocks facing Wo Muk Street and Wo Tai Street would be subject to adverse traffic noise impact in excess of the noise standard in the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines. We will mitigate the traffic noise impact by providing air-conditioning and improved glass windows to the noise sensitive teaching rooms at an estimated cost of $1.3 million, which we have included in the project estimate.

12. For short term construction impact, we will control noise, dust and site run-off nuisances during construction through the implementation of mitigation measures in the relevant contract.

LAND ACQUISITION

13. This project does not require land acquisition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

14. To cater for the need of junior secondary students with severe learning difficulties, the Education Commission recommended in its Report No. 4 the setting up of SOSs. The targeted students, who form the bottom 0.9% of the ability range of the 12-14 age group, are unable to benefit from the ordinary curriculum of grammar or pre-vocational schools even with intensive remedial support.

15. SOSs provide students with a modified curriculum with emphasis on the training of basic academic skills and the enhancement of vocational awareness and readiness. The curriculum comprises about 60% academic subjects and 40% cultural and practical subjects. On completion of Secondary Three, the students are prepared for post-school placement in a vocational setting such as skills centres under the Vocational Training Council.

16. Each SOS accommodates 15 classes from Secondary One to Secondary Three with a school capacity of 300 students. The small class size of 20 students enables teachers to provide intensive and individual support for students. There is also an enhanced school social worker provision at the ratio of one school social worker to 70 students.

17. We upgraded this project to Category B in April 1995.

18. We have engaged a consultant for design and preparation of tender documents for the project at an estimated cost of $3.1 million, which is charged to the block allocation Subhead 3009GX "Consultants' fees for building projects". We have completed the detailed design work. We plan to start works in March 1996 for completion in August 1997.

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Enclosure to PWSC(95-96)67

56ET - A skills opportunity school in area 18, Fanling

Breakdown of the estimate for consultants’ fees

Notes

1. The average estimated cost per professional man month is about equivalent to a professional on MPS point 44.
2. The average estimated cost per technical man month is about equivalent to a Technical Officer on MPS point 20.
3. The figures given above are based on estimates prepared by the Director of Architectural Services. We will only know the actual man months and actual fees when we have selected the consultants through the usual competitive system.
4. The estimated consultants’ fees represent 4.9% of the total project estimate, and cover post contract site supervision and contract administration services for all disciplines, as well as certain specialist works.

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