THIRTEEN Hong Kong schools took part in a promotional event in Shenzhen on Saturday to attract Hong Kong children living and studying in Shenzhen, Sunday's Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The event was organized by Shenzhen Hong Kong Comprehensive Household Service Center, jointly set up by Shenzhen Women's Federation and International Social Service Hong Kong Branch to serve Hong Kong families in Shenzhen.

All 13 schools, which are located at the Northern District in the New Territories and Yuen Long, now have students from Shenzhen, according to the organizers. The two areas now have around 3,500 students who commute daily from Shenzhen.

Luohu twins Wang Xiaoling and Wang Xiaoying are the daughters of a Hong Konger working in Macao. The sisters get up at 6 a.m. every morning to cross the Luohu Checkpoint the Luohu Checkpoint and start school at 7:20 a.m. in Hong Kong. The traffic is generally good but sometimes there are some delays, the girls told the newspaper.

"The two cities have quite different education systems, in which I think Shenzhen should learn much from Hong Kong that emphases on children's quality instead of simply academic marks," said a mother surnamed Zhou, whose 6-year-old daughter is studying in Grade 1 at a Hong Kong primary school.

"For example, if the school in Shenzhen organizes a chorus, the students, who are selected from classes, are generally have good academic records and appearance, but in Hong Kong children can choose the clubs they are interested in, everybody is equal, which I think is very important to children's growth," said Zhou.

According to the center, there are around 5,000 Hong Kong children living in Shenzhen and most of them cross the border to study in Hong Kong.

This is the second time since August that Hong Kong have tried to attract children of Hong Kongers working or living in Shenzhen to tackle shortage of schoolchildren in parts of Hong Kong, especially the northern area neighboring Shenzhen.

Hong Kong schools face cancellation of classes and closure due to a shortage of school-age kids. In 2005, 14 primary schools were closed in Hong Kong due to shortage of children.

(Han Ximin)