Numbers have to add up when deciding on closure of Hong Kong schools
Critics fear the new class-size regulations may well accelerate the demise of some disadvantaged schools. The Education Bureau has also raised the minimum number of students required to operate a class and scrapped alternative options that may give struggling schools a reprieve.
As a result, the pupil threshold for a secondary school operating a Form One class will be raised from 25 to 27 starting in September. The requirement will be further tightened to 29 in 2026-27. Currently, secondary schools need to have at least two Form One classes, or a total of 26 students, to continue operating. With the changes, a school will have to enrol at least 28 students to run two classes to survive the coming academic year, and 30 pupils in 2026-27.
Class sizes will also be subject to closer monitoring. Instead of a so-called annual headcount to ascertain numbers for Form One and Form Four every September, the exercise will be conducted in two other junior grades from September 2027-28, when the minimum two-class requirement for Form One will be extended to Form Two and Form Three.
With the number of 12-year-olds estimated to drop from 58,800 this year to 49,800 in 2031, the challenges facing schools are unavoidable. The Education Bureau said the new rules aimed to offer quality education and address the needs of parents. But the shrinking population and higher threshold are also bound to make enrolment more difficult for some schools, especially those that are already struggling.
Schools already on the brink of closure or merger may be excused for feeling dismayed and perplexed as to why the authorities are seemingly making it more difficult for them to survive. There are also concerns that popular schools will be able to enrol additional students and run extra classes, while even more schools for those not so good academically will be axed or merged at a quicker pace.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Ukraine war: Trump threatens India with higher tariffs over Russian oil
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' Trump said in a social media post. 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be. India's trade ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, Trump said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world's fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty but gave no details.
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Trump threatens India with ‘substantially' higher tariffs over Russian oil amid Ukraine war
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he would substantially raise tariffs on India over its purchases of Russian oil. 'India is not only buying massive amounts of Russian Oil, they are then, for much of the Oil purchased, selling it on the Open Market for big profits. They don't care how many people in Ukraine are being killed by the Russian War Machine,' Trump said in a social media post. 'Because of this, I will be substantially raising the Tariff paid by India to the USA.' He did not elaborate on what the tariff would be. India's trade ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, Trump said he would impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India and added that the world's fifth-largest economy would also face an unspecified penalty but gave no details.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong employers' group urges domestic helper wage freeze, cites poor economy
A Hong Kong employers' group has called for freezing the minimum salaries of foreign domestic helpers given the economic slowdown, after some unions representing the workers asked for up to a 30 per cent pay rise to HK$6,500 (US$833) a month. Yung Ma Shan-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association, said on Monday that such a higher base rate would only lead to fewer job opportunities for the workers. 'We don't support such an increase in the minimum wage under the current economic situation, as many people are experiencing a salary freeze or losing their jobs,' she said. The employers' group was responding to the appeal from some migrant workers groups for a raise of up to 30 per cent for Hong Kong's 370,000 helpers to HK$6,500 a month and for their food subsidy to be at least doubled to HK$2,700. The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions, which asked for the 30 per cent pay rise on Sunday, blamed current government policy for leaving many helpers in a 'hungry and malnourished' condition, saying the value of their work and contribution to the economy had to be reflected in their wages. But Yung said that a higher minimum wage would affect many low-income employers, such as retired or elderly individuals.
