Students, teachers at Hong Kong’s Rosaryhill Secondary School react to sudden closure announcement: ‘We really do love this school’
- Dominican Missions, the school’s sponsoring body, announced decision on Friday to close in the 2025-26 academic year; kindergarten and primary sections will merge with Dalton School Hong Kong
- School supervisor cited falling enrolment numbers, financial challenges as reason for the move, but principal said student numbers had increased
Rosaryhill School in Mid-Levels. Its secondary school will cease operations in the 2025-26 academic year, while the kindergarten and primary sections will merge with Dalton School Hong Kong. Photo: Elson LiDisheartened students and teachers from Rosaryhill Secondary School said they are planning to switch schools or bid farewell to their beloved institution, which has become the centre of a closure controversy.
The Dominican Missions, the school’s sponsoring body, recently announced its decision to close the subsidised school in the 2025-26 academic year, much to the disappointment of the school’s community.
The kindergarten and primary sections will merge with Dalton School Hong Kong (DSHK), a private institution in West Kowloon. All current Form One students will have to switch to a new secondary school to continue their Form Three education in 2025, the operator announced on Friday night.
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One Form One student, who prefers not to be named, expressed worry about finding a new school and said she was scared about adapting to a new environment.
“I feel sad because I came here with a lot of expectations … Even though it’s only been around three weeks since school started, I have made a lot of friends and learned a lot … I like this school’s environment very much,” she said. “I was hoping to study here until I graduate, but we cannot control our fate.”
A Form Six student who also prefers to stay anonymous said the announcement deeply saddened her and confused students, staff, and alumni.
“We really do love this school,” said the 17-year-old student, who received the news through the school’s intranet on Friday.
“I won’t be able to revisit my alma mater or reconnect with the passionate teachers who have guided me after graduation. These teachers, some of whom are alumni themselves, have only ever been loyal to the school and the students.”
A “depressing” town hall meeting was held last Saturday for parents, students, and teachers to express their views to the Dominican fathers, the Form Six student said.
The school also cancelled the first three lessons on Monday to allow pupils to speak with their teachers and write down their emotions on cards, which social workers would review. In addition, the student council created a Google doc where students could submit their thoughts and ideas.
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“I believe the teachers and our principal genuinely care about us and want us to express our feelings,” the student said, noting that it was still unclear if the school’s falling enrolment rate was the main reason for the closure. The school supervisor cited a reduced student population, alongside financial challenges, as reasons for the school’s decision in a letter sent to parents and teaching staff.
But the principal released a statement on the school’s website refuting this claim, saying that student numbers had actually increased, and criticised the sponsoring body for giving such short notice to parents and staff. The statement was later taken down.
The Form Six student agreed with the principal’s account of improving enrolment numbers, as more transfer students had joined that year.
“The decision to close the school appears to have been made unilaterally by the sponsoring body, the Fathers. This unexpected announcement has left students, staff, and alumni blindsided,” she said.
An English teacher who has taught at the Secondary School for more than 10 years said she felt “shocked and confused” after receiving the news.
“I am worried about our current students and the uncertainties they will face in the future,” she said.
Education-sector lawmaker Chu Kwok-kwung described the closure of Rosaryhill Secondary School as a “cruel” decision for its teachers and students. He urged the Education Bureau to intervene and suggested that the school body suspend the move and consider merging with similar institutions.
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The same week, Precious Blood Primary School (Wah Fu Estate) in Pok Fu Lam announced its decision not to admit any Primary One students in the 2025-26 school year, citing the city’s ongoing decline in school-age population since 2019. The school opened in 1968 and is set to close its doors in 2029.
Challenges facing the city’s education sector include the recent emigration wave and falling birth rates. Government statistics showed that the number of children eligible for Form One would decrease by nearly 14 per cent in 2029, falling to 60,000 from the current 71,600.
Secondary schools that only enrol one Form One class in the future will be required to submit a survival plan to the city’s officials for approval to continue operations. Under-enrolled secondary schools will face reduced government subsidies or closure.