- Two Primary One classes were cut at 10 schools while the others lost one each, according to ‘Primary School Profiles 2023’
- Lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung, a principal, says he expects the number of schools told to cease operating Primary One classes next year will exceed the latest figure
Publicly funded schools that fail to enrol enough Primary One students face an uncertain future. Photo: ShutterstockHong Kong schools have cut more than 80 Primary One classes across a dozen institutions for the new academic year, the latest data shows, with the sector expecting more cuts to follow amid a shrinking student population.
The figure, higher than the 70 classes cut at 63 primary schools in 2022-23, reflected the mounting pressure the sector faced, a lawmaker said, complaining that education officials had also told head teachers to strengthen promotion to avoid closures.
According to “Primary School Profiles 2023” released by the Committee on Home-School Cooperation on Friday, over 80 Primary One classes from more than 70 government and aided primaries were axed for this academic year.
Don’t let back-to-school anxiety ruin your year – here’s a psychologist’s advice for coping
The figure includes five primary schools that were told in March they could not operate any Primary One classes for the new term due to insufficient enrolment.
The profiles show two Primary One classes were cut at 10 schools while the others lost one.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin on Saturday said adjusting the number of such classes was a pragmatic approach to dealing with the decreasing number of students.
“This is a structural problem due to the shrinking student population. We need to use a multipronged approach to tackle the reality,” she told a radio programme.
“Running a class involves a lot of public money. If there are only a handful of students in a class, this will affect their social development and learning. We need to be pragmatic in adjusting the number of classes.”
Choi said the class reductions usually centred on older districts with ageing populations, such as Eastern, Southern and Tsuen Wan, where young people were reluctant to move because of a lack of new infrastructure projects.
Hong Kong emigrants to UK create online library to exchange books about their home city’s culture
The profiles are published annually to help parents find their preferred primary schools for children finishing kindergarten, so they can start submitting their applications from September 21 via an electronic platform.
Under current policy, the number of Primary One classes is essential for the survival of public schools as they rely on government funding. Any failure by a school to enrol 16 students means it cannot operate a Primary One class. These schools must submit solutions for government approval, or they face having to close down gradually.
Forty-two schools operated a single Primary One class in the last school year. Around a dozen traditionally only have only one class due to limited campus size while the rest, 30, may be at greater risk.
The government earlier said the projected population of children aged six – those expected to start Primary One – would fall from 57,300 this year to 50,000 in 2029.
Fewer than 44,000 students registered in public schools last year.
Twenty-four schools were told they could add 25 Primary One classes in total, resulting in a net reduction of around 60 including the 80-plus axed, compared with 64 last year.
There are 1,613 Primary One classes in the public sector this year, a near 3.5 per cent fall from 1,671 in 2022-23.
Among districts, Wong Tai Sin was hit the most, losing a net eight classes, followed by Kwai Tsing and Yuen Long, each with a net loss of seven. Wan Chai lost five classes, but that accounted for 10 per cent of the total in the district.
Choi denied authorities had attempted to “axe” schools by cutting their Primary One classes, suggesting the institutions should consider merging with others.
“There is no such thing as axing a school. Those without a Primary One class are only barred from taking part in the Primary One admission system. They can join the system again if their enrolment situation has improved,” she said.
“There are a lot of options for the schools to consider such as merging with another school, which is a good way of integrating the resources. We encourage schools to actively consider this option.”
Education-sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung, a principal, said he expected the number of schools told to cease operating Primary One classes next year would exceed this batch.
He said morale in the primary school sector was suffering because of the pressure over student enrolment, and head teachers were annoyed by a recent “reminder” by Education Bureau officials.
Hong Kong subsidised schools to hold session in mainland China in hopes of attracting students
“The officials from the regional education offices of the Education Bureau have recently reminded school management in meetings to strengthen school promotion so as to avoid low student enrolment leading to school closures,” he said, adding that he also received similar reminders.
“We teachers are doing education, not promotion. What we need to improve is the curriculum. School heads are really angry at what they said. My school has three Primary One classes, how come they can say this to me?”
He said the number of Primary One classes shown in school profiles could deter parents from choosing them.
Number of Hong Kong students at UK state schools soars 400 per cent in 2 years
“Parents may be put off by the Primary One classes being cut in some schools. They may worry about the school’s future and would not sign up and even withdraw after being allocated [a place],” he said.
A bureau spokeswoman said it would adjust the number of primary schools in a gradual and orderly manner to make good use of public resources.
She said the number of six-year-olds in mid-2024 was forecast at 49,600, down by 2,200 in mid-2023, but she did not provide estimates for the number of students joining the admissions system.