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Government announces investigation results of SMS incident of Primary One Central Allocation
The Government announced today (June 26) the results of its investigation into the SMS incident of Central Allocation (CA) for Primary One Admission (POA) results, as well as related follow-up actions and enhancement measures.
The Education Bureau (EDB) is highly concerned about the incident. Immediately after the incident, an investigation team was set up to conduct a thorough investigation with a view to clarifying the details of the incident, including whether negligence was involved. The investigation team also comprehensively reviewed the system operation, procedural arrangements and manpower deployment of the related work, so as to further enhance the information dissemination mechanism and supervision processes, to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
The investigation revealed that the incident primarily involved an EDB officer, who on the morning of June 2 made an operational error while setting up the SMS sending procedure in the relevant system. This resulted in SMS messages containing incorrect year and registration date, which were sent to parents one day earlier than the official announcement date originally scheduled. The SMS incident did not affect the CA results, which were announced on June 3. Having regard to the nature of the incident, the negligence of the staff member concerned, the inconvenience caused to parents, the public attention and the impact on the Government’s reputation, the EDB has decided to take disciplinary follow-up action against the staff member concerned. Deficiencies in the performance of the relevant duties will be reflected in the staff member’s appraisal, and an increment will not be granted. The staff member will also be transferred to perform other duties.
The investigation also found that another EDB staff member had not established sufficient review and approval measures in the workflow, and the staff member’s supervisory and management performance was not satisfactory. Advice has been given to the staff member concerned. The EDB will also reflect the relevant inadequacies in the staff member’s appraisal report.
The investigation task force concluded that in addition to negligence, the incident also showed areas for improvement in the current workflow and internal supervision mechanisms. After a comprehensive review of related workflows, system design and staff arrangements, the task force recommended a series of enhancement measures:
(1) Compiling internal working guidelines, clearly outlining the workflow, division of duties and responsibilities and approval arrangements for disseminating messages with regular reviews and updates;
(2) Establishing a multi-tier review and approval procedure in the message dissemination mechanism. The delivery task can only be activated after confirmation by staff from multiple tiers, and changes after task confirmation will be restricted; and
(3) Conducting practical drills before large-scale SMS dissemination, and holding briefings and training sessions on system operation continuously on a regular basis with a view to enhancing staff members’ understanding of the workflow and dissemination system, as well as improving their responsiveness and risk awareness.
The School Places Allocation Section of the EDB has immediately implemented the above enhancement measures. Other sections will also enhance processes involving dissemination of information to the public according to the above principles to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the relevant information.
Source: AI-found images
FEHD announces list of first batch of permitted food premises for dog entry
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (June 26) announced that, as of yesterday (June 25), among the successful food premises allocated quotas for allowing dogs to enter according to the ballot result, 833 have completed the procedures and dogs will be allowed to enter their premises starting from July 9. The list has been uploaded to the FEHD’s dedicated webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/dog_restaurants/index.html).
A spokesman for the FEHD said, “As some successful food premises withdrew their applications or did not complete the procedures due to various reasons, the FEHD will arrange applicants on the waiting list to fill the vacancies according to the sequential order from the earlier ballot results. The department has gradually notified those waitlisted applicants via SMS, and deployed dedicated officers to visit the food premises concerned in batches to deliver Approval Letters to the operators starting from today. Waitlisted applicants allocated a quota must, on or before July 7, bring along the Approval Letter and the existing original copy of the restaurant licence, to any Licence Issuing Offices listed in the Approval Letter, and pay a fee of $140 to amend the licence to include the permission.”
The FEHD, apart from notified applicants the ballot results via SMS earlier after the open ballot, has also deployed dedicated officers to visit successful food premises applicants to deliver Approval Letters, and brief their operators on the statutory requirements, licence conditions and other compliance arrangements, including reminding the applicants again to voluntarily verify whether the location of the food premises permits the entry of dogs.
The spokesman said, the new measure aims to respond to the aspirations of members of the public, create new business opportunities for the catering industry, and promote harmony between people and pets. Apart from hotpot restaurants, barbecue restaurants, and restaurants with an area less than 20 square metres, all restaurants with a full licence may apply for the dog-admission permission.
The FEHD advises that permitted food premises should make adequate preparations for allowing dogs to enter, including planning dining areas, installing facilities, training staff, and contacting insurance companies. In addition, co-operation among customers bringing dogs and other members of the public is also crucial. The FEHD has earlier released the Guidelines on Good Practices and Behaviour, covering points to note for restaurant operators, and both customers bringing dogs and those without dogs. The FEHD encourages different parties to refer to the Guidelines, fulfil their responsibilities, and respect one another, thereby promoting pet inclusivity.
Source: AI-found images
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