‘Five public schools face axe in Hong Kong after failing to meet Primary One enrolment threshold’

Five public schools in Hong Kong are facing the axe after failing to enrol enough students to operate even a single Primary One class, the Post has learned.

Two principals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, on Monday said the schools were told earlier this month by the Education Bureau that they could not operate Primary One classes in the next academic year as they had failed to meet the minimum threshold of 16 students. It was previously reported that only one school had fallen short of the requirement.

The five institutions might be forced to close in three years’ time when the bureau stopped subsidising them, said the principals, who are not connected to the schools.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

2 Hong Kong secondary schools to merge next year due to declining student numbers

“With such a downward trend in the student population, it is already fewer than expected to have only five schools facing the axe,” one of them said.

Among the five was the 69-year-old St Charles School in Central and Western district, which currently has two Primary One classes.

Both the school and the Catholic diocese, its sponsoring body, did not reply to the Post’s inquiries.

One of the schools is said to be located in the Eastern district, the area in Hong Kong with the most rapidly ageing population.

Only 43,755 students signed up for Primary One classes in government and aided primary schools for the next academic year, the lowest figure in the past 12 years.

Official data showed there would be a 10 per cent drop in the number of six-year-old children, who are expected to study Primary One, in the next three school years. The figure is predicted to fall from 57,300 in 2023 to 52,000 in 2025. Eastern district would be hit hardest with a 16 per cent drop.

Earlier this month, C.C.C. Cheung Chau Church Kam Kong Primary School, announced it had been notified by education authorities that it could not operate any Primary One classes in the next academic year.

ESF and 3 foreign schools failed to enrol enough non-local students in Hong Kong

The school asked Chu Kwok-keung – the lawmaker representing the education constituency – for help. He revealed the school was considering applying for a review and self-financing classes as survival options.

Tak Nga Primary School, a top private institution in Kowloon Tong, announced in March that it would cease operations in the 2024-25 academic year and officially close down in 2028, becoming the first campus in Hong Kong to attribute its demise to a recent emigration wave and the falling birth rate.

Hong Kong currently has 456 aided and government primary schools, 34 private ones and 21 other institutions under the direct subsidy scheme.

A spokeswoman for the Education Bureau on Monday did not confirm whether the five primary schools had failed to enrol enough students to operate a single Primary One class, saying it would comment after considering the replies of the operators.

Under the current policy, aided schools can apply for a review. In such a case, an operator would need to convince a team of inspectors that the school was capable of continuing, opt instead to self-finance its Primary One class or merge with another institution.

Hong Kong population drops for 3rd straight year, losing 60,000 residents

Students affected by school closures would be assisted by the bureau to enrol in other institutions to pursue their studies.

One of the primary school principals lamented that the bureau required institutions choosing the self-financing option to prove their viability by showing they had several million dollars in funds, adding it was a very tough requirement for operators to fulfil.

The schools’ choice of survival plan will be subject to the bureau’s approval. They will find out the results by September.

Hong Kong schools with falling pupil numbers urged to look at mergers to survive

The bureau also told some schools the number of Primary One classes they offered had to be slashed for the next academic year as the student population had shrunk.

Chu Wai-lam, principal and vice-chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association, said the number of Primary One classes in the North district had been cut by 12, adding that the border reopening had not helped much in bringing back students who live in mainland China.

“More parents prefer their kids to stay on the mainland now, as there are more schools providing Hong Kong’s curriculum there,” he said.

More from South China Morning Post:

• 2 Hong Kong secondary schools to merge next year due to declining student population; education chief says teachers’ jobs not her priority
• ESF school group, 3 other foreign educational institutions failed to enrol enough non-local students during pandemic, Hong Kong education authority says
• Hong Kong’s population drops for 3rd straight year, while city posts net outflow of 60,000 residents in 2022

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2023.