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The Star
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Hong Kong principals slam popular schools' class expansion without consultation
Principals in Hong Kong have criticised education authorities for failing to consult the sector regarding a new measure that permits popular schools to apply to operate an additional Form One class in the next academic year, raising concerns that the move will intensify competition among institutions. The Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools also questioned the timeliness and necessity of implementing the policy change amid the city's declining student population. The Education Bureau briefed representatives from secondary schools at a meeting on May 20 about new class-size regulations, which are expected to jeopardise the survival of disadvantaged schools. The new regulations have increased the minimum number of students required for operating a class, while also permitting schools with four Form One classes to apply to run an additional class in the coming academic year. A maximum of five school applications will be approved. 'There is no consultation at all with such an important policy change,' Lin Chun-pong, chairman of the Hong Kong Association of the Heads of Secondary Schools, told the Post last Thursday. 'We principals are concerned about the criteria for vetting and approving such applications and whether the quota will be increased in the future.' Other significant measures include raising the minimum number of students required for secondary schools to operate a Form One class from 25 to 27, commencing in the new term in September. This threshold will be further increased to 29 in the 2026-27 academic year. With these changes, a school will need to enrol at least 28 students to run the minimum of two classes required under the regulations and 30 pupils in 2026-27. Schools that fail to secure two Form One classes must submit a survival plan and have it approved by the government. Principal Lin recalled that in 2010, the Education Bureau launched a months-long consultation on a scheme called 'voluntary optimisation of class structure scheme'. This scheme allowed schools operating five Form One classes to apply to operate four classes to alleviate the problem of the sharp decline in student numbers. 'At the time, the Education Bureau conducted a comprehensive consultation and negotiation with the school sector before announcing such a scheme, as the policy change was huge,' he said, adding that more than 200 schools joined the scheme at the time. Last week, the bureau explained in a circular that the new policy change aimed to offer quality education and address parents' needs. '[It is] to work along with Hong Kong's aim of developing high-quality education, better addressing parents' preferences and taking into consideration the enrolment situation of schools,' the circular said. But Lin said principals were puzzled by the necessity and timing of the new policy change amid the shrinking student population. He described them as having 'reacted strongly' after learning of the new measures. 'Especially when the sector is now facing the structural decline in student population, the bureau allows schools with four classes to operate one more class. Is the new policy change timely and necessary, and why should the new policy be implemented shortly?' he said. He noted that most schools felt 24 classes – four classes in each of the six grades – were optimal for offering good education and learning space for students. 'Some principals asked, is this new policy a step moving backward?' he said, adding the bureau should have talked to affected schools before making its final decision. 'The education authorities should now know how worried the school sector is. With so many opposition voices, will the government withdraw such changes? Should they conduct some consultation and consider the views from the sector even if they insist?' The Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers, an association regarded as a pro-establishment group, also stated in a strongly worded press release last Friday that allowing popular schools to have more classes caused panic in the education sector. 'We are concerned about the new arrangement, fearing that it will intensify competition among schools for admissions, which will have an impact on disadvantaged schools,' it said. It added that enrolment figures should not be the sole factor in deciding whether a school could continue to operate, as some less popular ones had made great efforts to cater to the diversity of students' learning. Lee Yi-ying, chairwoman of the Subsidised Secondary Schools Council, said the arrangement of four classes in a year group allowed for better care for students, which was conducive to improving the quality of education. 'The government has set a quota of five schools [to run five classes] in 2026; it shows the government does not encourage most schools to change the current class structure,' she said. Schools should carefully consider their characteristics and the future student number changes when weighing expansion, she added. A bureau spokeswoman said it would maintain a 'high threshold and strict control' when assessing applications for operating one more Form One class, adding that it 'totally understood' their concern and therefore set a quota of five schools in the new arrangement. She added that it would take into account a number of factors, including community demand and school facilities.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
More Hong Kong schools at risk of closing as authorities tighten class size rules
Hong Kong education authorities will tighten the requirements for public secondary schools to continue operating as the student population declines by raising the minimum enrolment number and cutting some of the alternative options allowing them to survive starting in September. Members of the sector said on Tuesday they expected the new measures would speed up the closure of less popular schools, while students with poor academic performance might even be asked to repeat the same grade to meet the enrolment threshold. The Education Bureau, which announced the measures in a circular to secondary schools, said the move aimed to protect students' interests. 'The Education Bureau estimates that the number of Form One students aged 12 will drop from 58,800 in 2025 to 49,800 in 2031,' Ida Lee Bik-sai, Ida, deputy secretary for education, wrote in Insider's Perspectives, the bureau's online blog. 'The Education Bureau must … revise the arrangements related to class structure and support measures to safeguard students' learning interests.' The measures included raising the minimum number of students required for secondary school to operate a Form One class from 25 to 27 starting in the new term in September. The threshold will be further raised to 29 in 2026-27.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
More Hong Kong schools at risk of closing as authorities tighten class size rules
Hong Kong education authorities will tighten the requirements for public secondary schools to continue operating as the student population declines by raising the minimum enrolment number and cutting some of the alternative options allowing them to survive starting in September. Advertisement Members of the sector said on Tuesday they expected the new measures would speed up the closure of less popular schools, while students with poor academic performance might even be asked to repeat the same grade to meet the enrolment threshold. The Education Bureau, which announced the measures in a circular to secondary schools, said the move aimed to protect students' interests. 'The Education Bureau estimates that the number of Form One students aged 12 will drop from 58,800 in 2025 to 49,800 in 2031,' Ida Lee Bik-sai, Ida, deputy secretary for education, wrote in Insider's Perspectives, the bureau's online blog. 'The Education Bureau must … revise the arrangements related to class structure and support measures to safeguard students' learning interests.' Advertisement The measures included raising the minimum number of students required for secondary school to operate a Form One class from 25 to 27 starting in the new term in September. The threshold will be further raised to 29 in 2026-27.
South China Morning Post
16-04-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong's rising student absenteeism crisis affects more than 5,500 pupils post-pandemic
The breaking point for Hong Kong student Sarah* came in November 2023. The daily tests and quizzes for her Form One classes became overwhelming for the then 13-year-old, and she ultimately stopped attending school. 'It just never ends. I had to study 16 subjects, and almost all had quizzes, even for music and religious classes,' she said. 'It was so exhausting. Whenever I failed, I had to do a re-quiz on top of the scheduled quizzes on that day. There was no chance to finish all the revisions.' Another factor in her decision to quit was the struggle she faced connecting with her classmates. 'It was hard to make friends when everyone barely speaks to others and stays in their own circle,' she said. Overwhelmed by the pressure, she stopped going to classes, becoming one of the thousands of students chronically absent in Hong Kong. The term refers to a student who misses school for seven consecutive days. After dropping from more than 6,000 in the mid-2010s to about 3,000 between 2000 and 2022, the number of chronically absent students rose to 4,500 in 2022-23 and surpassed 5,500 in the past academic year. Faced with a worsening problem, overstretched schools are limited in their response, according to frontline educators and youth workers. The needs of pupils who remained must be met and institutional standards maintained to avoid closure, they said. But effective help could still be given to these 'invisible' pupils and their equally stressed parents if educators were provided with the right tools, they argued. How can Hong Kong schools help neurodivergent teens thrive? Tip of the iceberg? While the 5,500 chronically absent pupils accounted for less than 1 per cent of the 662,000 student population, a third were aged between six and 15, making them subject to mandatory education. Youth Outreach, an NGO, has estimated that more than 20,000 pupils are chronically missing school and 'at risk of dropping out', but most are not flagged to the government as they attend classes sparsely. The Education Bureau has admitted it is aware of the rising trend in recent years and attributed it to post-pandemic challenges children faced in returning to a normal academic schedule, pledging to strengthen collaboration with schools to tackle the problem. Other developed economies such as the United States, Britain and Australia have also seen significant post-Covid absenteeism, with 20 to 40 per cent of students missing 10 per cent or more of school days. Frontline educators describe chronic absenteeism as a complex issue fuelled by multiple factors, including academic stress, social anxiety, mental health problems and strained family dynamics, all of which were exacerbated by the pandemic. Secondary school principal Li Kin-man, formerly a youth social worker, said isolation had become a common coping mechanism adopted by young people following years of class disruptions and remote learning. Li said family support, which helped to guard against absenteeism, had also weakened for some students, as parents were too busy making ends meet in a sluggish economy to care for their children's emotional needs. The Education Bureau has pledged to strengthen collaboration with schools to tackle the problem of chronic absenteeism. Photo: RTHK Personalised back-to-school plans The Education Bureau will step in for students absent for seven consecutive days, potentially leading to warning letters or attendance orders with legal penalties. Parents who ignore the order risk a HK$10,000 fine and three months in jail. But authorities rarely deployed the tools, with only 10 warnings and two orders issued in the 2023-24 school year. One reason for the low number, according to the bureau, was that steps were often deemed inappropriate after considering the emotional state of the students and parents. Educators told the South China Morning Post that helping students return to school required personalised strategies, starting with home visits to find out the cause of the absenteeism, followed by devising flexible plans for returning to class. For example, students could start school later in the day, take lessons they felt less stressed about, and in some rare cases, apply to take an entire year off. They can also be referred to mental health professionals when necessary. Both Li and Roy highlighted the strain on an overstretched school system in handling these delicate cases, calling for increased manpower and resources for schools with higher absentee rates to enable early intervention. Why are Hong Kong teens 'lying flat'? For some, it's 'not as stressful' Pause and pivot Some NGOs offer short-term programmes for pupils struggling to attend school, including the Unusual Academy at the Hong Kong Playground Association and Project Cool Teen at Youth Outreach – both of which were seeking additional resources to handle a rising demand for services. The three- to six-month programme uses counselling, life skills training and group activities to help young people rediscover motivation and pursue either education or employment. Iris Wong Yin-wing, in charge of the project at the Unusual Academy, which serves more than 200 young people a year, said she had received 80 applications for the coming session and had to put half of them on a three-month waiting list. 'We focus on the basic needs – a safe, comfortable environment for genuine connections,' she said. 'Our game-based learning and group activities create a less stressful atmosphere for children.' *Name changed at interviewees' request.
