Global Courant 2023-04-25 15:02:32
Five public schools in Hong Kong are on the verge of closing after failing to enroll the minimum number of students to run even one Primary 1 class.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a minimum of 16 students must be enrolled for a class to go ahead.
It was previously reported that only one school had failed to comply with the requirement.
The five schools could close in three years if the Education Office stops subsidizing, two directors not affiliated with the schools told SCMP on condition of anonymity.
There was no confirmation from a spokesman for the agency as to whether the five schools had failed to enroll enough students for the first grade.
However, the spokesman said the agency would comment after reviewing the responses from the school operators.
Only 43,755 students enrolled in Government Primary 1 classes and supported primary schools for the next academic year.
According to SCMP, this is the lowest figure in the past 12 years.
Official data showed that over the next three years there would be a 10 percent drop in the number of six-year-olds – who would generally enter first grade.
Private schools are not spared either.
A leading private institution in Kowloon, Tak Nga Primary School, announced in March that it would stop operating in the 2024-2025 academic year. It said it would eventually close in 2028.
The school would be the first campus in Hong Kong to close due to the lack of enrollment due to a falling birth rate and the recent wave of emigration.
Earlier in April, SCMP reported that four international education organizations had been warned they would be fired.
They, too, failed to meet a minimum requirement — in this case, an enrollment of 70 percent non-local students.
