LettersHong Kong’s low birth rate calls for swift, thoughtful school restructuring
Readers discuss the shrinking number of children of school-going age, the government’s weight management plans, and the latest war in the Middle East
Hong Kong’s low birth rate has shrunk the number of children attending school, burdening school budgets and threatening pupils’ learning. We must swiftly reform our schools for a brighter educational and economic future.
Since 2012, Hong Kong’s crude birth rate has fallen most years. There were fewer than 32,000 births in 2025. With limited immigration, fewer children enrol in school.
Smaller classes enable teachers to better understand each pupil and offer more personalised instruction, but children lose opportunities to learn or develop social skills with a broad range of classmates during group activities in class or after school. When schools close, their pupils endure longer commutes to new schools.
My study with Sung Wook Joh and Lawrence Khoo, “The effects of school closure threats on student performance: Evidence from a natural experiment”, published in the BE Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy, showed that dwindling pupil numbers in Hong Kong raised per-pupil school costs, leading to financial burdens and school closures.
In districts with few pupils, schools competed for them, adopting novel, costly and risky teaching methods. Stressed by the unfamiliar instruction, these children learned less – especially if their school closed later that year – than other pupils. By contrast, closing subpar schools and moving their pupils to better schools improved their learning outcomes.