Hundreds of Hong Kong schools report student withdrawals, with pandemic and instability cited as possible reasons

Children wearing masks as protection against the coronavirus (Covid-19) going to school in Hong Kong. - South China Morning Post

HONG KONG, Sept 18 (SCMP): More than 95 per cent of some 230 Hong Kong schools polled have reported cases of students withdrawing over the past few months, with most furthering their studies in mainland China or overseas.

Last year’s social unrest and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic were cited as major reasons for the withdrawals, and 70 per cent of school heads worried more students would leave if the health crisis continued, according to the city’s second-largest teachers’ union, the Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, which conducted the survey.