Students and parents pose for a photo outside the TWGHs Wong Yee Jar Jat Memorial Primary School in Tseung Kwan O on Monday as the new school year begins. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)
Despite a three-day delay due to Super Typhoon Saola, the new school year began smoothly on Monday as Hong Kong educational institutions rallied together to repair damaged campus facilities and restore tidiness and order after the devastating weekend storm.
Their collective efforts were acknowledged by the city’s education chief, Christine Choi Yuk-lin, who expressed her gratitude during a school opening ceremony. The education secretary also vowed to employ diverse strategies to address the challenges posed by the decline in the city’s school-age population.
The first day of class was postponed on Friday, the day the Hong Kong Observatory issued its highest storm signal, the T10, as the typhoon wreaked havoc in the city.
The Transport Department said the school opening day’s overall traffic was busier than prior years, but conditions were “mostly smooth”, and public transport services were “generally adequate to meet demand”.
Choi said she noticed that some schools were affected by the storm, experiencing incidents such as auditorium flooding or window damage. However, teachers and school employees worked together to quickly resolve these issues, she said, expressing her appreciation for their tremendous efforts to ensure a smooth start to the new school year.
In the new academic year, there has been a reduction of 88 Primary 1 classes across 77 primary schools in Hong Kong, according to the Primary School Profiles published on Friday.
According to statistics from the Education Bureau, the population of 6-year-olds eligible for schooling in Hong Kong is projected to decrease from 57,300 this year to 50,000 by 2029. Similarly, those aged 12 will decline from 71,600 to 60,100 during the same period.
Choi said the decline in the school-age population is a structural situation that has been expected, and the government aims to ensure that the quality of education for students is not compromised despite the decrease in student numbers.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin (third from left), together with Po Leung Kuk Ma Kam Ming College’s students, principal and staff, sing the national anthem during the first flag-raising ceremony of the new semester. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
She said school mergers are an effective and resource-efficient strategy to maintain the quality of education. Recognizing the specific needs of secondary schools, Choi said the Education Bureau plans to adjust subsidies during the merger process. Additionally, the implementation of small-class teaching in primary schools will be expedited in more areas.
Choi also said the Education Bureau has devised a plan to address enrollment challenges faced by certain primary schools, particularly those struggling to enroll a minimum of 16 students for the first grade.
In addition, the bureau will continue to implement current measures to cope with the structural population decline, such as closing schools with insufficient student enrollment and relocating schools from areas with challenging student enrollment to new development districts, she said.
Chu Wai-lam, principal of Fung Kai No 1 Primary School in North District, said that this year, only about 20 percent of the school’s new students are cross-border students, which is less than last year. Some students have chosen to study in Shenzhen, and there are also fewer students whose parents are not permanent residents of Hong Kong, or who don’t have one parent who is a permanent resident of Hong Kong.
Addressing the school opening ceremony of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, university Vice-Chancellor and President Rocky Tuan Sung-chi called upon students to seize the burgeoning opportunities presented by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and actively contribute to the nation’s progress.
Tuan encouraged CUHK students to delve deeper into the rich history and diverse modern development of the nation. By offering comprehensive and practical national education, CUHK aims to cultivate young talents with a strong sense of national identity, and empower them to contribute to the sustainable development of society and the world.
