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Lack of Equal Opportunities

De facto segregation in some public schools still remains serious though the Education Bureau removed the label “designated schools” from the public education system in the 2013/14 school year. This is because no measures have been taken to address the over-concentration of ethnic minority students in some public schools. 

To date about 40% of all non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students are concentrated in 12 primary schools and 10 secondary schools respectively. 

De facto racial segregation creates a distorted reality in the school environment in which Chinese and ethnic minority students are segregated, rendering them unfamiliar with each other’s culture and practices, leading to discrimination and prejudice. Ethnic minority children who grow up in such an environment will have a much harder time integrating into mainstream society. The situation of de facto racial segregation in schools has been criticised by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), and the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) as causing harm to minority children on personal, social and economic fronts, affecting their chances of upward mobility. 

Racial segregation can be seen in the Hong Kong educational system, from kindergartens, primary and secondary schools to tertiary institutions.. Hong Kong Unison sees that it is of utmost importance to rectify the situation in kindergartens as kindergarten provides children with the foundation of education – they start to learn to read, write, speak, count and interact with others. It is through kindergarten that children develop the primary skills for learning and development. The problem of racial segregation in primary and secondary schools is perpetuated for the ethnic minority children who did not have fair and equal opportunity to enroll in mainstream kindergarten.

To achieve true racial equality, the Education Bureau should establish a diverse and inclusive policy to ensure that the choice of schools for ethnic minority children is not hindered by language barriers, to better integrate ethnic minority students into the mainstream classroom, eliminate de facto segregation, and level the playing field for both Chinese and non-Chinese students.

designated schools hong kong

designated schools hong kong

Schools in Hong Kong

Schools in Hong Kong can be broadly divided into ‘local schools’ which follow a Hong Kong based curriculum, as regulated by the Education Bureau and ‘international schools’, which follow an overseas based curriculum.  

types of schools in hong kong

The type of Chinese  - Cantonese or Mandarin -  that is taught in school and the amount of hours devoted to the subject will depend very much on the type of school. 

For a more detailed explanation of the different types of school in Hong Kong see the chart. 

©  www.topschools.com.hk  | Used with permission

Local Schools - EMI or CMI?

‘Local schools’ can be divided into English Medium of Instruction (EMI) schools which teach Chinese for a  certain number of hours per week, or Chinese Medium of Instruction (CMI) schools, where most subjects are taught using Chinese. 

So far so good – that looks simple enough.   Except that the situation is actually a little more nuanced. 

EMI schools come in different shapes and sizes.  Some are the so called ‘elite’ schools, which teach in English but also require native levels of Chinese. Children from non-Chinese speaking families are in a small minority at these schools.

Other EMI schools include the ‘former designated schools’, which were set up to cater for the needs of Hong Kong’s ethnic minority students.  These schools cannot provide a Chinese immersion environment, as few of their students speak Chinese as a first language, as such students in these schools will generally not achieve native, or near-native levels of Chinese.

The language environment of the CMI schools is also a little unclear.  While local CMI schools used to teach entirely in Cantonese, for a while there was a move towards teaching Chinese lessons in Mandarin. A few years ago, reports showed that around 70% of primary schools were teaching the Chinese part of the curriculum in Mandarin[1]. It appears this trend has been reversed to some extent although the exact number of schools teaching Chinese in Mandarin/Cantonese is not known.  

Meanwhile, in a school that appears to be CMI, children from non-Chinese speaking backgrounds may be separated from the Chinese children for some lessons, thus diluting the Chinese language input. In this case, children from non-Chinese speaking families are not gaining the full benefit of being in a CMI school.  

Chinese in International Schools

International schools are English Medium of Instruction except for a few that teach in the language of the affiliated country - Japanese, Korean, French and German.  At international schools , Chinese is always taught in Mandarin.  Some schools use traditional characters and some use simplified.  Different schools put more or less emphasis on Chinese learning - this can range from a few hours per week to a majority of Chinese input during the primary years.  There are even some schools which offer a full Mandarin immersion learning experience from kindergarten through to the end of Primary.   

Complicated?!   Yes, the Chinese language learning landscape is rather mixed.  Check on the school website and if in doubt contact the school directly. 

[1]  https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2123208/teaching-chinese-mandarin-blamed-hong-kong-pupils-struggle  

Designated schools: more harm than good?

Updated: 2013-11-08 10:27, (hk edition).

The government uses a Language Fund to encourage non-governmental organizations to offer Chinese enhancement activities through games and creative art to non-Chinese speaking children aged 3-9. The fund increased from 9 million a year in 2011 to 13 million in 2013.

Extra subsidies of up to HK$600,000 a year are available to designated schools. In 2012, the Education Bureau provided HK$16.4 million to 20 primary schools and 10 secondary schools. In 2013, the expenditure increased slightly to HK1$16.5 million.

Yuen Yuet-mui, associate professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, said the government needs to establish a stricter monitoring and assessment mechanism to check the outcome and track how the Language Fund and subsidies were used.

The high concentration of non-Chinese speaking students in designated schools has its advantages. Students have peer support and sense of belonging, enjoy friendship, and feel they are the majority and therefore shielded from discrimination at mainstream schools.

Yuen said the downside is the policy gives rise to racial segregation. Learning Chinese in the absence of an immersive environment is extremely difficult. It fails to boost students' expectations in themselves, and kills their motivation to move into the mainstream society.

(HK Edition 11/08/2013 page2)

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top-performing countries

designated schools hong kong

Foundation of Supports

Learning system, career and technical education, teachers and principals.

Hong Kong emerged as a world leader in education at the turn of the century, performing at the top of the first PISA in 2000. That Hong Kong essentially rebuilt its education system since 1997, the year Britain returned the region to China after a century and a half of British rule, makes this feat all the more impressive.  It has stayed near the top of the PISA charts ever since, although it slipped slightly in science in 2018. Its performance is among the most equitable across the globe, with variation in scores on PISA explained by socio-economic status far lower than the OECD average. Hong Kong also has one of the lowest percentages of low-performing disadvantaged students and one of the highest percentiles of resilient students, defined as students from the lowest socioeconomic quartile who are among the top performers on PISA.

Hong Kong’s history is key to understanding the development of its top-performing education system. China ceded Hong Kong to the British in the 19th century and signed a 99-year lease to the region in 1898. By the time the lease ran out, Hong Kong had become one of the world’s great capitalist trading and financial centers. When Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997, the region attempted to marry its intensely capitalist economy with China’s Communist system. The process took place under a policy captured by the slogan, “One Country, Two Systems.” Although part of China, Hong Kong was allowed to maintain most of the systems it had previously developed, including its education system. However, in 2020, after public protests over a new law, the Hong Kong government adopted laws aimed at quelling dissent. This has led some to suspect that China will exert more influence over the region going forward.

Hong Kong schools represent a hybrid of British and Chinese educational traditions. Until the 1960s, schooling in Hong Kong was an elite affair. A single university admitted only 100 to 200 students per year. Rigorous exams determined access to both secondary school and university. Hong Kong’s education planning was based on projected workforce requirements, which is why so few slots were available in higher education. After the 1960s, as aspirations for education soared, a new crop of schools emerged, along with a great debate over whether to offer three years of free schooling after primary education. The government instituted nine-year compulsory education in 1978, and secondary education was nearly universal by the end of the 1980s. The expansion of higher education followed through the 1980s.

But by 1999, local employers had begun to demand employees better prepared for an increasingly complex workplace. As blue-collar work moved to mainland China and Hong Kong’s economy focused more and more on highly specialized value-added services, the need for new skills became increasingly urgent for Hong Kong students. A curriculum focused on memorization and a didactic approach to teaching failed to meet the challenge.

In response, the Hong Kong government launched a broad public conversation about the goals of the education system that included public forums and involved a broad range of stakeholders. Hong Kong leaders also carefully studied education in many other countries. The result was a new design for education in Hong Kong, focused on preparing students for a 21 st  century economy. Hong Kong abolished the exams following primary school and developed a new curriculum designed to encourage learning for understanding and active engagement. This shift away from rote learning and toward more creative, interactive classrooms has enabled students to demonstrate understanding through the use of real-life situations as part of the instructional process. 

The structure of the education system also changed.  In 2009, Hong Kong extended compulsory school to include six years of secondary school and in 2012 it introduced a new exam at the end of upper secondary school designed to ensure that students have met the standards in the curriculum and are prepared for postsecondary education and training or the workplace. At the same time, Hong Kong expanded vocational education offerings and better aligned them to changing industry needs and upgraded teacher and school leader preparation and development.  Reforms of higher education have followed, including opening admission to a broader range of students, introducing experiential education, and expanding overseas exchanges.  Despite these reforms, a large percent of students enroll in private afterschool tutoring to prepare for secondary school admission as well as university admission.

Quick Facts

Population: 7.3 million Population growth rate: 0.15% Demographic makeup: Chinese 92%, Filipino 2.5%, Indonesian 2.1%, Other 3.4% Source: CIA World Factbook 2023

GDP: $444.624 billion GDP per capita: $60,000 (2021 estimate in 2017 dollars) Source: CIA World Factbook 2023

Unemployment rate: 5.32% Youth unemployment rate: 15% Sources: CIA World Factbook 2023

Highly service-oriented economy Key services industries: trading and logistics, financial services, professional services, tourism, cultural and creative Key manufacturing industries: clothing and textiles, shipping, electronics, toys, clocks and watches

Postsecondary attainment Ages 25+: 32.4% Source: World Bank, 2023

Governance Structure

Hong Kong’s central education authority is the Education Bureau (EDB), led by the Secretary for Education. The EDB is responsible for the development, review, and implementation of education policies, programs, and legislation for pre-primary through post-secondary education. The EDB also monitors the work of several key organizations in education, including the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, an independent statutory body responsible for administering jurisdiction-level assessments, and the Vocational Training Council, the largest vocational and professional education and training provider in Hong Kong. The EDB has four Regional Education Offices that support school operations by providing leadership on school development and improvement; supporting implementation of EDB initiatives, such as curriculum reforms; and organizing regional opportunities for teacher collaboration.

There are three types of government-funded schools in Hong Kong. Aided schools, which make up more than 80 percent of schools, are run by voluntary charitable or religious organizations but receive full government funding and follow the government curriculum. Direct subsidy scheme schools, which make up fewer than 10 percent of schools, are also run by voluntary organizations but can charge tuition in addition to government funding and have more flexibility in admissions criteria and curriculum. The government requires them to set aside funds to support scholarships for low-income students, in exchange for their subsidy.  Government schools, which are fully funded and run by the government and follow the government curriculum, make up fewer than 10 percent of schools. 

While the EDB and the Regional Education Offices retain a central role in education governance, curriculum reforms and a shift to school-based management in the early 2000s increased school autonomy and responsibility. To facilitate school-based management, aided schools have been required to establish school-based Incorporated Management Committees (IMCs) since 2004. In addition to representatives of the “school sponsoring body,” the organization that operates the aided school, an IMC includes the principal, an independent member, and at least one representative teacher, parent, and graduate. The IMC is responsible for creating policies consistent with the goals of the school sponsoring body; managing financial and human resources; promoting student learning; and participating in school improvement.

Planning and Goal Setting

Each year, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive issues a detailed Policy Address that outlines key goals and policy initiatives across all government sectors, including education. The Policy Address reviews progress to date and sets concrete goals for the future. In the most recent 2020 Policy Address, new policy initiatives for the education sector included providing a broader range of secondary school Applied Learning courses (elective courses in professional and vocational fields) and investing HK$2 billion (US$258 million) over three years in developing technology and resources for blended learning, including an online platform for educators to share instructional materials.

Hong Kong also regularly forms task forces or other working groups to develop recommendations for the education system with public input. In 2017, for example, the government formed eight task forces to conduct a large-scale review of the education system in areas like school management, home-school cooperation and parent education, and curriculum and assessment. By the end of 2020, all eight task forces had completed their work, and the government had accepted their recommendations. In addition to soliciting public input, several of the task forces conducted international benchmarking to inform their recommendations.

Education Finance

Aided schools receive a salary grant, which covers the salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff, and an additional block grant, which they can use flexibly to meet their needs. The amount of the block grant depends on whether the school is a primary, secondary, or special education school and how many classes it operates, as well as its eligibility for school-specific grants. These grants cover spending on school-specific needs like information technology or educational psychology services and may be awarded on a per-pupil, per-class, or per-school basis, depending on their purpose. There are also other grants for specific purposes such as the Learning Support Grant, which is awarded on a per-pupil basis to support students who are struggling academically in primary schools and students with special needs in primary and secondary schools.

In 2017, Hong Kong spent only 3.3 percent of its GDP on education, lower than the OECD average of 5 percent.  When Chief Executive Carrie Lam took office that same year, she pledged to increase education spending. In 2018-19, spending went up by 26 percent in real terms compared to the prior fiscal year, a boost quickly followed by an additional increase of about 12 percent in 2019-20. Education spending as a share of total public spending is expected to decline slightly in 2020-21, however, as Hong Kong’s economy recovers from disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the widespread protests.  

Accountability

As part of its Quality Assurance for Schools Program, the EDB developed a mandatory School Development and Accountability Framework that includes two components: school self-assessments and external school inspections.

All public schools are required to participate in three-year cycles of self-assessment in order to develop, implement, and report on school-wide goals. At the beginning of each three-year cycle, schools create their own School Development Plans, which identify improvement goals. Year-by-year implementation strategies and success criteria are specified in Annual School Plans. At the end of each year, each school must conduct a self-assessment to measure progress toward its goals. The EDB provides a set of resources that schools use to self-assess, such as stakeholder surveys for educators, parents, and students. Schools produce annual reports for the school community summarizing the results of self-assessment, known as School Reports. Self-assessment also informs revisions of schools’ Annual School Plans and, at the end of each three-year cycle, new School Development Plans.

To complement the self-assessment process, the EDB carries out External School Reviews (ESRs). Schools are generally chosen at random for ESRs and notified approximately three months in advance. ESRs are conducted by teams of three to four EDB officers and one practicing educator, who receives specialized training in conducting ESRs. Schools are required to make ESR reports available to parents and other members of the school community. In addition to ESRs, the EDB conducts Focus Inspections, which address specific topics such as teaching and learning in particular subject areas. Focus Inspections, which the EDB uses to inform its policies, are typically conducted by inspectors with expertise in that subject area. Like ESRs, Focus Inspections do not follow any set schedule, but in practice they are conducted more frequently. In 2016-17, more than twice as many schools received Focus Inspections as received ESRs.

Regional Education Offices help schools implement improvement strategies based on the results of ESRs. The format of the ESR report was recently revised to provide more tailored feedback for improvement based on each school’s context and priority areas. Schools are now able to request more in-depth reviews of particular areas in which they want to improve, and the ESR team can adjust the number of days spent at a school depending on its size and needs. School sponsoring bodies, the charitable or religious organizations that operate aided schools, also have the option to nominate schools they oversee to receive ESRs if they think they could benefit from expert feedback.

The results of Hong Kong’s Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA)—a low-stakes assessment of Chinese, English, and mathematics skills administered to students in grades 3, 6, and 9—are also used to design and support school improvement efforts. The EDB does not use TSA results to rank schools or label those in need of improvement, but schools can apply for support services provided by the EDB based on their own results. EDB support officers, who visit schools regularly to assist in their improvement efforts, collaborate with teachers on using assessment data, including TSA results, to adjust curriculum and instruction to address student learning needs. In 2017-18, more than 60 percent of primary schools took advantage of EDB-provided support services focusing on one or more of the three TSA subjects.

Hong Kong does not have a formal teacher appraisal system.

Supports for Young Children and Their Families

Hong Kong’s Maternal and Child Health Centers (MCHCs) provide free prenatal care services, including health education, for expectant mothers. Hong Kong also provides 14 weeks of paid maternity leave (extended from 10 weeks in December 2020) and five days of paid paternity leave, both at 80 percent of salary, capped at a dollar amount. New parents have access to ongoing parenting education, including workshops and one-on-one counseling, through the MC HCs. Families also receive a child allowance for each child that is under 18; between 18 and 25 and studying full-time; or over 18 but unable to work due to a physical or mental disability. 

Children up to age 6 receive free health care services through the MCHCs, including regular check-ups and monitoring through the Health and Developmental Surveillance program, which aims to identify developmental delays or needs early and connect children with the appropriate support services. Monitoring covers developmental areas such as motor skills, language and communication, social behavior and play, self-care, vision and hearing, and any specific concerns parents or guardians raise during appointments. 

Childcare centers, all of which are privately operated, serve children ages 0-3 in Hong Kong and are overseen by Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department. About half of childcare centers are government-subsidized, which lowers family fees. In other childcare centers, family fees cover the full cost of care but profit margins are capped by the government to promote quality and limit fees. Low-income families with children enrolled in full-day care can apply to the government’s Child Care Centre Fee Remission Scheme, which reimburses between 50 percent and 100 percent of childcare fees, depending on income and other needs such as special education.

Capacity in childcare centers is limited, however, and there are long waiting lists to enroll. Often, parents rely instead on relatives or other home-based care. As of 2018, only about half of 2- to 3-year-olds were enrolled in childcare centers, while the enrollment rate of 0- to 2-year-olds was below 5 percent.  Hong Kong is taking steps to increase access to childcare, including pledging to seek available land to build new centers and subsidize existing childcare centers to expand the number of children they serve. Hong Kong has also adopted a revised planning strategy that will prioritize children ages 0-2—the highest-need age group—in the creation of new childcare facilities. Nonetheless, the demand for center-based childcare is expected to continue to exceed supply in 2021.

To increase access to quality home-based childcare, in recent years Hong Kong has begun providing government-subsidized childcare training programs for grandparents. In 2016, the government launched the two-year Pilot Project on Child Care Training for Grandparents, which provided part-time childcare training courses for more than 500 grandparents.  In late 2019, the project re-launched for another two-year training cycle serving 1,200 grandparents.   

Supports for School Age Children

Hong Kong funds a variety of supports for students in primary and secondary schools. This funding is provided directly to students; to support programs for these students within schools; and to service providers that operate outside schools.

Government supports for low-income students include the School Textbook Assistance Scheme, which provides funding for textbooks and other school expenses, and the Student Travel Subsidy Scheme, which provides funding for students to take public transportation to school. Schools also receive government grants for after-school programming—including extracurricular activities, tutoring, and activities designed to build skills like self-directed learning and goal-setting—for low-income students. In 2019, Hong Kong introduced a new HK$2.5 billion (US$333 million) fund to allow low-income students to participate in out-of-classroom learning experiences organized or recognized by their schools.  Hong Kong also provides non-means-tested financial support directly to families of all preschool, primary school, and secondary school students in the form of student grants. The grants were introduced in 2018-19 and became permanent in 2020-21.  

For students new to Hong Kong, the government funds a six-month full-time initiation program to support the development of students’ Chinese language, English language, and other skills before school enrollment. A 60-hour orientation program provides additional support during the transition to full-time school. In addition, the government operates a Summer Bridging Program, which serves primary school students learning Chinese as well as their parents, and has designated approximately 20 Chinese Language Learning Support Centers, which provide Chinese language classes and other outreach.  A parent information package detailing these and other support services is available in six languages (including Indonesian, Tagalog, Thai, Hindi, Urdu and Nepali) in addition to Chinese.

The government also provides supplemental funding directly to schools to provide language learning and other supports for students learning Chinese. Beginning in 2020-21, the government increased funding for schools enrolling fewer than 10 Chinese language learners to ensure all students have access to these support services, regardless of their share of a school population.

Hong Kong has dramatically expanded its preschool sector over the last decade and has prioritized low-income children in this expansion. In 2007, the government began providing families with vouchers for half-day services in kindergartens, which serve children ages 3 to 6, through the Pre-primary Education Voucher Scheme (PEVS). In 2017-18, the Free Quality Kindergarten Education Scheme (FQKES) replaced the PEVS and began providing these subsidies on a per-pupil basis directly to kindergartens. The subsidies provide tuition-free half-day kindergarten for 3- to 6-year-olds, regardless of income, and kindergarten enrollment is almost universal. Low-income families receive subsidies for extended-day programs. Additionally, the government has built kindergarten facilities in public housing to ensure access to these programs.

All kindergartens in Hong Kong are run by private providers but almost all receive public funding. About 90 percent receive funding through FQKES, which requires them to follow the jurisdiction-wide Kindergarten Education Curriculum Guide. This document, introduced in 1996 and most recently revised in 2017, sets developmental objectives for children in six broad areas: physical fitness and health; language; early childhood mathematics; nature and living; self and society; and arts and creativity. It also provides guidance for kindergartens on pedagogical approaches.

There are special supports in place in kindergartens for young children learning Chinese. As part of FQKES, an additional grant is given to any kindergarten with eight or more students learning Chinese. This grant may be used to hire instructional staff to support students’ language development or for other services, including teacher training or improved communication with families. Hong Kong also provides wraparound supports for young children with special needs and their families. The Labour and Welfare Bureau’s On-site Preschool Rehabilitation Services, which began as a pilot program in 2015 and became permanent in 2018, provides support within kindergarten classrooms from “multi-disciplinary service teams,” including social workers; speech, occupational, and physical therapists; and psychologists. These service teams also work with teachers and parents to guide them in supporting children with special needs. 

Primary and Secondary Education

System structure.

Starting at age 6, students in Hong Kong are entitled to twelve years of free public primary and secondary school, nine of which are compulsory. Parents apply for admission to a government or aided primary school through the Primary One Admission system, which was designed to increase equity in and to reduce competition for admission to top primary schools. In the first round, parents apply directly to the school of their choice and places are based on a points system set by the Education Bureau (EDB). Points are awarded for factors like having parents or siblings who graduated from the school, being the eldest child in the family, having the same religious affiliation as the school, and having a parent belong to the organization that sponsors the school. Schools fill about half of their available places in the first round. In the second round, the rest of the slots are assigned by a central lottery, with ranked preferences.  Students apply directly to direct subsidy scheme primary schools, as they have more flexibility to determine admission criteria. 

Following primary school, assignment to secondary school follows the Secondary School Places Allocation system. This system functions similarly to the system for primary schools except that schools, rather than the EDB, set criteria for admission, which often include an interview. Students who do not receive a place by direct application in the first round are divided into three groups based on academic performance and then assigned randomly within each group, with the top-performing group assigned first.  Student preferences are taken into account; if spaces in preferred schools are not available, students are assigned to schools with open places in their area of residency.

After the first three years of secondary school, students can choose to shift from upper secondary school to a full-time upper secondary vocational program, offered by a range of providers but not by traditional secondary schools. The admissions process for these programs varies, but typically students submit their academic records directly to a vocational education provider and participate in an interview.

Standards and Curriculum

The EDB sets the framework for school curriculum in Hong Kong. The framework for the current curriculum has been in place since 2002, following the release of two major reports— Learning through Life  (2000) and  Learning to Learn  (2001)—which focused on the need to shift Hong Kong’s education system from one centered around rote learning to one aimed at developing 21 st  century skills. In 2014, Hong Kong began a process of ongoing review and revision of the curriculum originally introduced in the early 2000s. This process is known as Learning to Learn 2+ .  

The curriculum covers all subject areas for primary and secondary school as well as implementation guidance for teachers and school leaders. The framework is organized around eight Key Learning Areas (KLAs): Chinese Language Education; English Language Education; Mathematics Education; Science Education; Technology Education; Personal, Social, and Humanities Education; Arts Education; and Physical Education. At the secondary level, four core subjects are identified: Chinese, English, mathematics and Liberal Studies, a cross-disciplinary subject focused on social and global issues.  In 2021, this subject was renamed Citizenship and Social Development and the amount of teaching time devoted to this was reduced.  The curriculum also identifies sets of Generic Skills, such as collaboration and problem-solving, as well as Values and Attitudes, such as perseverance and responsibility, to be incorporated across the curriculum. Hong Kong also offers three levels of gifted education: in-classroom, supplemental enrichment and a full-time gifted education academy.

In an effort to broaden the types of learning experiences available to all students, the curriculum also requires that schools and teachers incorporate five Essential Learning Experiences into teaching and learning: Moral and Civic Education; Intellectual Development; Community Service; Physical and Aesthetic Development; and Career-related Experiences. The curriculum recommends that these be provided through a combination of in- and out-of-classroom learning. At both the primary and secondary levels, the government promotes Life-wide Learning—experiential learning that emphasizes a connection between the classroom and extracurricular activities. 

In 2017, as part of a broad review of Hong Kong’s education system, a Task Force on Review of School Curriculum was charged with making specific recommendations to better meet students’ diverse learning needs and prepare all students for the future. The recommendations of the Task Force, released in 2020, include creating more time and space for students to pursue non-academic activities to promote their holistic development, enhancing STEM education in primary and secondary schools, further promoting applied learning, giving values education higher priority, starting life planning education earlier and expanding the criteria used for university admission. The Education Bureau accepted these recommendations and plans to implement them gradually.

Assessment and qualifications

There are no high-stakes, jurisdiction-level assessments in Hong Kong until the end of upper secondary school. Before 2009, students were required to take two high-stakes exams, one at the end of lower secondary school and another at the end of upper secondary school. In 2009, these were replaced by a single gateway exam—the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)—at the end of upper secondary school. The HKDSE is administered by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA).

The HKDSE tests students in four core subjects—Chinese, English, mathematics, and Liberal Studies, a cross-disciplinary subject focusing on current events—as well as two to three elective subjects. It is not yet clear how and when the HKDSE Liberal Studies exam will change.  Students choose among 20 electives and six foreign languages based on what they plan to study at university. Students can also choose up to two of their elective exams from a set of Applied Learning subjects, which combine practice and theory in broad professional and vocational fields like Media and Communication. Each year, the EDB releases previous-year HKDSE exams and examples of student work to aid preparation. In slightly more than half of all HKDSE subjects, there are also School-based Assessments (SBAs) that teachers must administer during the school year. SBAs count for between 15 percent and 50 percent of students’ overall HKDSE results, depending on the subject. SBAs were introduced in 2012 so that students can receive ongoing feedback and so that overall HKDSE results can reflect a broader picture of student knowledge and skill level. The HKDSE qualifies students for a variety of post-secondary pathways, including two and four-year degree programs at community colleges and universities, vocational education and training including technical degree programs, higher education abroad, or entry into the workplace through the civil service.

The HKEAA also administers the low-stakes Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA). The TSA measures whether students in grades 3, 6, and 9 have achieved “basic competence” in Chinese, English, and mathematics. Jurisdiction-level results are reported publicly, while school-level data is reported only to individual schools to inform teaching and learning. Student-level results are not reported. In response to concerns about excessive focus on testing at the primary school level, since 2018 only a sample of grade 3 students has been tested and no school-level data have been reported for that grade. All students in grades 6 and 9 take the TSA, but, as of 2012, grade 6 students are only required to take it every other year.

Learning Supports

Struggling students.

In primary schools, the EDB provides additional funding to support struggling students, defined as those who are two or more years behind in at least two out of three core subjects: Chinese, English, and mathematics. Struggling students are identified by teachers using the EDB-developed Learning Achievement Measurement Kit. The additional funding, awarded to schools on a per-student basis, is used to provide “add-on” supports such as small group teaching, pull-out programs, or supplemental instructional time after school. Schools decide how they will use the funding to provide these supports, which can include hiring more teachers or teaching assistants.

In secondary schools, Hong Kong takes a different approach to supporting struggling students. Instead of additional funding, the EDB provides additional teaching positions to secondary schools with high numbers of low-achieving students. These students are identified during the secondary school admissions process based on their scores on internal school assessments taken in the final two years of primary school. Internal assessment scores are placed on a common scale so they can be compared across the jurisdiction. The EDB calculates how many extra teachers to send to a given secondary school based on the number of students that school enrolls from the bottom 10 percent and bottom third of each cohort. 

Special Education

The Early Identification and Intervention Programme for Primary One Pupils with Learning Difficulties helps ensure that students with special needs are identified early. Through this program, teachers observe the learning and social adjustment of all students for the first few months of primary school and then administer the Observation Checklist for Teachers for any student suspected of having special needs. The screening assessments for secondary school teachers vary, but in general, students’ special needs are identified during primary school. Based on the results of teacher-administered screening assessments, students can receive follow-up assessment and diagnosis by educational psychologists or other specialists. 

Students identified with mild to moderate special needs receive services in mainstream schools, while students with severe or multiple special needs receive services in special schools. As of 2017-18, about 9 percent of students in Hong Kong were identified as having special needs, and about 85 percent of those students were enrolled in mainstream schools.

Mainstream schools receive designated funding to implement the jurisdiction-wide 3-Tier Intervention Model for students with special needs. The model includes supports ranging from early identification and differentiated instruction in the regular classroom to intensive, individualized supports. Supports are flexible, and students can move among the three tiers of support as needed, depending on their progress. Mainstream schools also have Special Educational Needs Coordinators to lead the school’s student support team and help the principal develop and implement a whole-school plan for students with special needs. To support mainstream schools, the EDB operates two Special Education Services Centers and provides resources for teachers and administrators, including online training courses designed to build capacity to support students with special needs. 

Digital Platforms and Resources

Hong Kong provides a wide range of curriculum-aligned resources to support online teaching and learning. Resources are created by the EDB and centrally curated to facilitate access and ensure quality, but teachers have autonomy to decide whether to use or adapt them for their students. 

Teachers access these resources through the EDB One-stop Portal, an online portal managed by Hong Kong Education City (HKEdCity). HKEdCity is a government-owned company responsible for facilitating exchange of instructional resources and development of a professional community among educators; supporting students’ online and self-directed learning; and helping parents to support their students’ learning. The EDB One-stop Portal provides a library of instructional resources searchable by subject, grade, and resource type. It also includes resources to support formative assessment, professional learning resources for teachers, and multimedia resources, such as the EDB’s Educational TV (ETV) programming. In addition to the general EDB One-stop Portal, HKEdCity manages other sets of online resources designed for more specific purposes, such as English Campus for supporting English language learning. While Hong Kong does not use a single jurisdiction-wide online learning platform, the EDB provides guidance on a range of commonly available platforms from which schools and teachers can choose. 

The Hong Kong Chief Executive’s 2020 Policy Address committed to additional investments in building the education system’s capacity for online and blended learning. This initiative, to be implemented over three years, will include creation of an online platform to help educators share their teaching and learning materials and provision of devices and internet access to schools and students in need.

Governance 

Vocational education and training (VET) in Hong Kong is directed by the Vocational Training Council (VTC), a government-funded statutory body. The VTC serves two main functions: advising the Chief Executive on VET policy, including making regular reports on its status, and providing VET directly to students through its 13 member institutions. The VTC’s leadership council is made up of 18 non-government representatives including leading figures in education, industry, and the service sector, as well as three senior government officials: the Commissioner for Labor; the Director-General of Trade and Industry; and the Deputy Secretary for Education. The goal is to ensure communication between the education sector and industry and inform policy decisions based on actual workforce needs. Together, the 13 member institutions of the VTC are the largest provider of VET in Hong Kong. Other providers include the Construction Industry Council and the Clothing Industry Training Authority, which provide VET in those specific industry areas.  

The Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications plays a key oversight role in VET by determining which programs are eligible for accreditation and inclusion in the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF). The HKQF serves as an organizing structure for the VET system, standardizing the competencies and skills associated with different vocational qualifications and clarifying which programs lead to each qualification. Although programs do not need to be accredited and included in the HKQF in order to operate, this is an indicator of program quality and increases programs’ attractiveness to students. The government also has several Qualifications Framework Support Schemes, mostly in the form of grants or registration fee subsidies, to incentivize education and training providers to participate in the HKQF.

Hong Kong has struggled with the public perception of VET as a second-choice option and has made ongoing efforts during the past decade to improve its attractiveness, despite the availability of well-paid technical jobs and increasing unemployment among university graduates. In 2014, the government established the first Task Force on Promotion of Vocational Education, which made recommendations for improving and promoting vocational programs, including facilitating closer collaboration between VET providers and employers and upgrading VET facilities. In 2018, a second Task Force on Promotion of Vocational and Professional Education and Training was established to review progress on the 2015 recommendations and make additional recommendations. The government accepted this Task Force’s new recommendations in 2020. They include increasing career exploration opportunities for lower secondary school students and implementing new communications strategies to improve public understanding of VET program options.  Upgrading VET and shifting its image in Hong Kong remains a challenge, particularly amid the economic setbacks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to 2008, government funding for secondary education in Hong Kong covered only full-time general education; students who wanted to enroll in full-time VET paid tuition. In 2008, the government began funding full-time VET at the upper secondary level, hoping this would encourage students who would otherwise have dropped out to continue in education or training. Students now have the option to transition to a full-time, tuition-free vocational program upon completion of lower secondary school. 

There are a range of certificate- or diploma-level VET programs available at the upper secondary level. The most common is the Diploma of Vocational Education (DVE) program, which is provided by the Youth College, a VTC member institution. The DVE prepares students for employment or further education and training, although students who wish to continue to a bachelor’s degree program must first complete a one- to two-year Higher Diploma. Overall, only about 10 percent of students pursue full-time VET at the upper secondary level, and two-thirds of these students enroll in a DVE program. 

There are multiple vocational programs and providers at the post-secondary level. The Technological and Higher Education Institute (THEI), established in 2012, offers “honors” bachelor’s degree programs in technical fields. Hong Kong also launched a pilot program in 2018, the Diploma of Vocational Baccalaureate, that allows students to proceed directly from upper secondary-level VET to a technical bachelor’s degree at THEI without first completing a Higher Diploma. This program aims to make VET more attractive to students who plan to go to university but prefer hands-on learning.

Students who remain in full-time general upper secondary education instead of transitioning to full-time VET have the option to take two-year elective courses, called Applied Learning courses, in vocational and professional fields. About 9 percent of upper secondary school students take Applied Learning courses, similar to the share of students who take other elective subjects. In 2020, the government accepted a recommendation from the Task Force on Review of School Curriculum to further promote enrollment in Applied Learning courses. Implementation of this recommendation has begun, and measures include providing early exposure to Applied Learning options at the lower secondary level and allowing students to enroll in Applied Learning courses in grade 10, rather than waiting until grade 11. 

CTE Programs

Curricula for DVE programs are developed by the VTC and Youth College, the VTC member institution that offers DVE programs, with input from industry. In total, there are 18 DVE programs organized around three themes: Business and Services, Engineering, and Design and Information Technology. Each program has its own curriculum, which includes five general subjects—vocational Chinese, vocational English, mathematics, information technology, and whole-person development—that are common across all programs, as well as a set of required, industry-specific vocational subjects that vary by program. Students can also take general or vocational subjects as electives. Completing a DVE takes from one to four years, depending on the program and the number of years of general secondary education students complete before enrolling. There is no standardized jurisdiction-level assessment at the end of the DVE program; instead, internal assessments determine whether students receive credit for each required subject and are ultimately awarded the DVE. 

Students who earn a DVE can enter the workforce directly or proceed to a Higher Diploma program at a VTC institute or an associate’s degree program at a community college. Higher Diploma programs are generally one- to two-year programs in technical fields whereas associate’s degree programs are generally two- or three-year programs that are more academically oriented and typically lead students to university for further study. After earning a Higher Diploma, students can pursue a technical bachelor’s degree in fields like engineering or nursing, offered by VTC institutions like the Technological and Higher Education Institute or at universities. In some cases, students who have completed a Higher Diploma can enroll directly in the final two years of a degree program in a related field. Aside from VTC Youth College, there are alternative VET programs offered at the upper secondary level that lead to either a VET certificate or an advanced VET certificate; both certificates allow graduates to go directly into the workforce or enter post-secondary VTC institutes to earn a diploma or higher diploma.

Like all other general upper secondary subjects assessed on the HKDSE, Applied Learning subjects have a jurisdiction-level curriculum that serves as a general framework for course providers—generally vocational or post-secondary institutions, in cooperation with upper secondary schools—to develop their own curricula. Students’ scores in Applied Learning courses are determined by assessments administered by the course provider throughout the course. Any Applied Learning course a student takes is recorded as an elective subject on the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) at the end of upper secondary school. Applied Learning courses are also registered as certificate-level qualification programs on Hong Kong’s Qualifications Framework, meaning that students receive a vocational certificate in addition to their HKDSE score. 

Since 1997, when Hong Kong gained independence from Britain, it has dramatically expanded its teacher workforce, raising requirements gradually and providing supports to train teachers in the new curriculum. Most recently, Hong Kong has updated the professional competencies for teachers and school leaders and established a professional ladder for educators.

Teacher Recruitment

Faced with a decade of declining student population due to the low birthrate, Hong Kong took steps starting in 2001 to adjust the supply of teachers, including temporarily reducing the number of available spaces in teacher preparation programs. Each institution offering a teacher education program sets its own admission requirements, which generally include practical tests and at least one interview to assess aptitude for teaching and fluency in both English and Chinese.

In order to be hired as a teacher, a candidate must apply for registration at the Education Bureau (EDB). Candidates become either registered teachers, who have earned a teaching qualification by completing teacher training and hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, or permitted teachers, who have a bachelor’s degree but do not have formal teacher training. Permitted teachers may become registered teachers after completing in-service training. Neither type of candidate is required to pass a test in order to become registered.

Teaching is a respected profession in Hong Kong. Teachers are paid according to the Master Pay Scale of the Civil Service Bureau and are generally well-compensated compared to professionals with similar education. Starting salaries are determined by level of education, teacher preparation, and years of experience. During the 2019-20 school year, Hong Kong invested HK$1.5 billion (US$191 million) to implement an all-graduate teaching force policy in all public schools, meaning that all Hong Kong teachers must hold bachelor’s degrees and will be paid at the bachelor’s degree-level. Although a bachelor’s degree has been required for new primary and secondary school teachers since 2004, there were not enough degree-level positions to pay all teachers in line with their level of preparation.  

Teacher Preparation and Induction

Hong Kong had a two-tier teacher training system prior to 1994. Primary and lower secondary school teachers were prepared in two- or three-year sub-degree-level programs at government-run Colleges of Education, while upper secondary school teachers typically completed a post-graduate diploma after finishing university education. In 1994, the five Colleges of Education joined together to form the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and the EDB began phasing out sub-degree-level preparation programs. Prospective teachers now study in undergraduate or post-graduate programs at any of five institutions: the Hong Kong Institute of Education, which specializes in educator preparation; three comprehensive universities that have designated educator preparation programs; or the Open University of Hong Kong, which specializes in distance learning. 

The EDB has become increasingly involved in teacher education, producing guidelines for the professional growth of new and existing teachers. A general Teacher Competencies Framework was introduced in 2003, and a new set of Professional Standards for Teachers was released in 2018. Students in full-time teacher preparation programs complete practical teaching experience in local schools under mentor teachers. Once teachers are hired by schools, they are provided with one year of support from experienced teachers trained as mentors by the EDB. This is done through the Teacher Induction Scheme, started in 2008. 

All teachers in kindergartens are required to hold at least a postgraduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education. To help kindergartens attract and retain high-quality teachers, the Education Bureau (EDB) encourages kindergartens to design school-based career ladders that allow teachers to take on additional responsibilities and earn higher salaries as they gain experience and expertise. The EDB offers a framework that includes four positions: classroom teacher, senior teacher, vice principal, and principal. The EDB also recommends that kindergartens prioritize hiring and promoting applicants who have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education as well as specialized training in areas like Chinese language learning or special education. 

Teacher Career Progression

In 2017, the EDB established a Task Force on Professional Development of Teachers charged with making recommendations on the development of a comprehensive professional ladder for educators. In addition to holding public consultations on the topic, the task force studied systems for teacher career progression in other jurisdictions, including Victoria (Australia), mainland China, Singapore, and the UK. In early 2019, the task force submitted a public report containing its recommendations to the EDB. The report concluded that a professional ladder should be established and proposed a broad conceptual framework that would link career progression to three elements of teachers’ professional growth: new sets of professional competencies for teachers and principals released in 2018, which focused on student-centered approaches and professional autonomy for teachers; professional values and conduct; and aspiration for advancement through self-reflection. During the 2020-21 school year, as a first rung on the ladder, the EDB began offering enhanced professional learning opportunities for new and practicing teachers geared toward professional growth.

At present, primary and secondary school teachers can be promoted to senior teacher, deputy principal, and principal. Some senior teacher positions have specific focus areas, such as Primary School Curriculum Leader. Schools also flexibly deploy senior teachers as heads of core subject departments, like Chinese or mathematics, or leaders of key areas, like extracurricular activities or support for students learning Chinese. Promotions to senior teacher positions require specific training courses, with standards set by the EDB. These positions increase teachers’ points on the Master Pay Scale of the Civil Service Bureau. The framework for a professional ladder proposed by the Task Force on Professional Development of Teachers maintains these promotion positions but aims to more closely link career advancement to the new professional competencies.   

Teacher Development

Hong Kong teachers are required to complete 150 hours of professional learning every three years. The Teacher Competencies Framework (TCF), which schools can adapt to their own contexts, guides teacher professional learning by tracking the development of teachers’ competencies in the areas of Learning and Teaching, School Development, Student Development, and Professional Services to the Community. The TCF, developed in 2003, was updated in 2018 with a new set of professional teaching standards based in part on those of other high-performing systems.

Formal professional development courses and other programs are offered through the EDB, universities, and the Hong Kong Teachers’ Center, a resource center provided by the EDB that offers opportunities for teacher professional learning and collaboration. For example, the Centre for Educational Leadership at the University of Hong Kong facilitates lesson observation and discussion between teachers in different education systems—such as Hong Kong and mainland China or Singapore—through videoconferencing. Peer-to-peer lesson observation has been implemented across all schools and follows a common structure developed by the EDB. The jurisdiction-level primary and secondary curricula also recommend that schools organize schedules so that teachers can engage in collaborative lesson planning.

The EDB offers rotations for teachers and EDB staff to facilitate collaboration across the education sector and provide exposure to other career pathways. Teachers may temporarily transfer to the EDB, EDB employees may take temporary non-teaching positions in schools, and EDB employees may apply for temporary transfer within the EDB.

Principal Recruitment, Education, and Development

The 1999 shift to school-based management in Hong Kong gave principals a great deal more authority and responsibility than before. The EDB developed training to prepare them for these new roles. In 2002, a Continuing Professional Development Framework was introduced to guide initial and ongoing professional learning. The framework spells out professional requirements—including formal leadership programs and school-based professional development activities—for principals at three key stages:

  • Aspiring principals complete the Certification for Principalship. The three steps to Certification are a needs analysis; a Preparation for Principalship program, which includes an action research project; and a professional development portfolio assessed by the EDB.
  • Newly appointed principals are required to complete an induction program; a leadership development program that meets the EDB’s standards; and continuing professional development activities within their first two years of service. By the end of their third year, they must also complete a study visit to mainland China that includes seminars and school visits.
  • Serving principals with more than two years of experience are required to complete 150 hours of continuing professional development over three years, as well as create a Continuing Professional Development plan which they must update annually.

The Continuing Professional Development Framework also sets the expectation that principals will continue to seek opportunities for professional growth throughout their careers in a process of lifelong learning, in addition to required training. The Framework lays out six core areas of leadership, which guide the training and professional development of principals. The six areas are 1) strategic direction and policy environment, which includes planning for the future and ensuring community involvement in the process; 2) learning, teaching, and curriculum development in order to ensure coherence; 3) teacher professional growth and development; 4) staff and resource management, including collaboration and empowerment; 5) quality assurance and accountability to provide feedback to students, parents, and the community; and 6) external communication and connection to the outside world. The Continuing Professional Development Framework was recently updated with a new set of professional standards for principals, released in 2018.

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The New Thing in Hong Kong’s Public Schools: White Students

designated schools hong kong

By Angie Chan

  • Aug. 22, 2018

HONG KONG — For generations, Hong Kong’s prestigious international schools exclusively educated the children of wealthy Western expatriates. Today, placement in those schools is increasingly competitive and enrollment fees can exceed $1 million, making them some of the most expensive private schools in the world.

Recent changes to the city’s demography — prompted by Chinese politics and global markets — have driven up tuitions and resulted in a dramatic shift in the complexion of the city’s schools: An increasing number of ethnic Chinese students are now enrolled in international schools, and many more white students are occupying desks in Cantonese-language public schools.

“Private schools here are bloody expensive you know, and we have twins,” said James Runciman, a Briton, shop owner and father of two 6-year-olds who are set to begin second grade in September. “We just can’t afford to send our kids to these schools,” he said of the private international schools, which replicate the curriculums of Western countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and France.

As students return to school next month, there will be more white students in public schools than at any time in the city’s history, a telling indicator of how Hong Kong is both shaking off its colonial past and losing its draw as a magnet for the West’s wealthiest workers.

Last year 818 white students were enrolled in the city’s public schools, according to the Hong Kong Education Bureau, which labels all Caucasian students “white” regardless of nationality or self-identification.

That number represents a small fraction of the overall public school population, but is indicative of a 44 percent increase from 2013, when only 556 white children attended public schools.

Robert Adamson, a professor of curriculum reform at the Education University of Hong Kong, said white students were increasingly attending public schools because they had been priced out of the city’s international schools by a newly rich immigrant constituency: mainland Chinese.

“International schools are in high demand from a new market — mainland China — and fees have increased considerably in recent years,” Professor Adamson said. “Thus, some traditional students are struggling to gain access and therefore look to local schools instead.”

Hong Kong, which reverted to Chinese control from Britain in 1997, has long been considered Asia’s pre-eminent financial hub. For decades, the world’s largest banks sent Western employees to the city on lucrative expatriate contracts that included money for housing and school tuition. But China’s meteoric rise to become the world’s second largest economy has meant an influx of mainland bankers to Hong Kong. Today, Mandarin is more likely to be heard spoken on a bank’s trading floor in Hong Kong than English.

Still, after a decline in expatriate whites following the 1997 handover, the city has seen an increase in its white population in the last decade. As China has opened its economy, many foreigners have come to Hong Kong looking to open — and work for — businesses eager to gain access to China’s enormous markets and its inexpensive goods and services.

From 2006 to 2016, the number of white residents increased by 60 percent, to 58,209 from 36,384. The majority of those whites were from English-speaking countries, including Britain, the United States and Australia. But as of 2006, 16 percent of whites in the city did not speak English at home, according to a government report that cited German-, Italian- and French-speaking residents. The government tracks the number of “whites” as an “ethnic minority” in the city, but its statistics do not break that down by nationality.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, Western firms have been less willing to offer employees gold-plated relocation packages. And white workers in the city are no longer just bankers, but also small-business owners, middle managers at tech start-ups and baristas in coffee shops.

“Many low and middle-management people are not given the same packages when asked to move here,” said Jacqueline Cohen, an American who moderates a parents group on Facebook for expatriates with children in public schools.

But as expatriate packages have declined, prices at international schools have increased. Tuition at international schools can exceed $42,000 a year, excluding so-called debentures, which can exceed $1 million at the most prestigious and expensive schools.

Debentures are lump-sum loans that incoming students are required to pay to the school on top of regular fees. Large debentures often come with the promise of admission at some selective schools. The loans, used for capital projects at the school’s discretion, are sometimes reimbursed at graduation, but can also be bought and sold on a secondhand market. Some debentures, however, depreciate and are never returned.

Increasingly, many of the students at international schools are Hong Kong locals or the children of mainland Chinese parents. Foreign students once made up 100 percent of those schools’ populations. In 2017, however, foreigners accounted for less than 75 percent of students at primary international schools. Local students accounted for 21.6 percent of the student body, and “nonlocal Chinese,” a Hong Kong government designation for mainlanders, made up about 4 percent, according to the Education Bureau.

Hong Kong prides itself on being a diverse, international city but it is also largely segregated — not by law but by custom.

For many white parents, however, a Chinese-language education is an added reason to send their children to public schools and a chance for them to better integrate in the city.

“We consciously put our children into Cantonese schools,” said Ms. Cohen, whose children are 11 and 12. “They need to know the language to be a full member of Hong Kong.”

Katherine Ferreira, Mr. Runciman’s wife and the mother of twins, Vicente and Florencia, 6, also said learning Cantonese was an important factor in deciding to enroll her children in public schools.

“This is a different continent, so I saw it as a good chance to learn a new language,” said Ms. Ferreira, who is from Chile. “If they’re going to learn a language, now’s the moment.”

Primary public school students are required to use English and Cantonese in their regular classes and learn Mandarin too. High schools are typically designated either as English-language or Cantonese-language schools, with the other language and Mandarin being taught as electives.

Aiken Bridges, 13, said he is the only non-Chinese student at the English-language secondary school to which he will return in September. “My friends usually speak to me in English,” he said, adding that he was still nervous when speaking Cantonese outside class.

The vast majority of immigrant students enrolled in the city’s public schools are Asian, which the government’s ethnicity statistics do break down by country of origin. Last year there were 6,267 Pakistani students in public schools — the single largest immigrant bloc — nearly eight times the number of white students.

Unlike whites, non-Chinese Asian immigrants have attended the city’s public schools for decades. Some South Asian families complain of systemic racism, arguing that the schools fail to teach their children Cantonese, the predominant Chinese language spoken in the city, which is necessary for public sector employment.

(In addition to “white” and the nine most common Asian countries from which students trace their heritage, the Education Bureau also has demographic categories for “other Asian” and “others.”)

Hong Kong’s students often rank among the world’s top performers in math, reading and science, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. That reputation, however, comes at a cost. Many students say the schools are high-pressure environments in which rote learning is stressed over critical thinking.

Some experts attribute a rise in teenage suicide to the stress and rigor of school.

About 35 students killed themselves in 2017, according to Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong, a nonprofit anti-suicide organization, a 50 percent increase over 2016. More than 93 percent of high school students reported that school led to anxiety, according to the group.

Western parents are often shocked by the long hours spent at school and the mountains of homework students in Hong Kong are expected to complete. In many cases, expatriate parents who send their children to public elementary schools use the money they have saved to pay for a private or international high school once classes get harder.

“I chose my children’s mental and physical health over their results when they got to primary two,” said Ms. Cohen, the American who moderates the “Cantonese School Parents Group” on Facebook. “After school and their homework tutorial, they will have the time for relaxation and a balanced life.”

Designated Driving Schools

Designated Driving Improvement Schools

Note: The designation of Royal School of Motoring and Maritime Training Limited (Address: Unit 15A, 15th Floor, Hody Commercial Building, 6-6A Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) by the Commissioner for Transport as a driving improvement school has been expired on 14 June 2023.

Designated Pre-service Training Schools for Taxi, Public Light Bus and Public Bus Drivers

2022 Drama Fest Cancelled

In view of the uncertain situation posed by the pandemic and the possible lack of contact time for students to prepare for a performance, we regret to announce that the Drama Fest, originally scheduled for April 2022, will have to be cancelled. Arrangements will be made to return all the cheques to participating schools after the Chinese New Year holiday.

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region - Press Releases

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COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

Costa Rica Bridges, Restrictions Part of Traffic Fix

Volunteers in costa rica team up to shield national park from blazes, bill for home-grown cannabis in costa rica, exchange rates shake costa rica fruit trade, the 2024 gross global happiness summit is set to inspire: will you be attending, messi insists hong kong no-show was due to injury, not politics.

AFP

Argentine football star Lionel Messi insisted Monday that his absence from a match in Hong Kong two weeks ago that drew the ire of spectators was not a snub but prompted by injury.

In a video posted on China’s Weibo social media platform, Messi rejected chatter that his no-show was “for political reasons” and said if this had been the case, “I would not have traveled” to Hong Kong in the first place.

“As everyone knows, I always want to play and be in every game,” he said. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner stayed on the bench throughout Inter Miami ‘s 4-1 win against a Hong Kong select XI on February 4. 

His no-show drew boos and calls for refunds from thousands of fans who had shelled out large sums to see the World Cup-winning captain play in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory. 

Widely considered the best player of his generation, Messi is a highly marketable sportsman who people around the world will pay top dollar to see, even in the twilight of his trophy-laden career.

Some nationalist politicians and outlets interpreted Messi’s absence — and his subsequent appearance at a similar match in Japan — as a snub to China, without offering evidence.

Sports bosses in China subsequently canceled two friendly matches featuring world champions Argentina. Messi spoke in his video of a “very nice and very close” relationship with China, a country with which he said he had “done a lot of things” including matches and events.

His reason for not playing, the star striker said, was due to injury, specifically “inflammation of an adductor” muscle.

AFP

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Yale Law School's Roach on Hong Kong's future

Posted: February 21, 2024 | Last updated: February 21, 2024

Yale Law School Senior Fellow Stephen Roach discusses Hong Kong's future and China's economic outlook. He speaks with Yvonne Man and Stephen Engle on "Bloomberg Markets: China Open".

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COMMENTS

  1. Education services for non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students

    The Government ensures equal opportunities in school admission for all eligible children (including non-Chinese speaking (NCS) children) in public sector schools, regardless of their races. The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of NCS students (notably students of diverse races) into the community, including ...

  2. PDF CHAPTER 3: THE EDUCATION OF ETHNIC MINORITIES

    'designated schools', which were originally set up to receive non-Chinese speaking students to teach them Chinese at a different pace. The learning ... Table 3.2 School Attendance Rate Among Children Aged 3-5 by Ethnicity in Hong Kong in 2011 School Attendance Among Children Aged 3-5 Ethnicity % of children not in school Chinese 8.5 ...

  3. PDF Educational Support Measures for Non-Chinese Speaking Students

    The EDB abolished in the 2013/14 school year the so-called "designated schools" system afore-mentioned with a view to removing the misconception arising from the "designated school" label which is in fact a misnomer and to raising schools' awareness to support NCS students' learning of the Chinese language. Instead, all schools ...

  4. PDF Hong Kong Unison Limited

    number of designated schools increased from 15 in 2006/2007 to 30 in 2011/2012, and ethnic minority students were largely concentrated in those schools. Such labeling and categorization reinforces segregation and is not beneficial for ethnic minorities' integration into the Hong Kong society. Students from designated schools often

  5. 'Give me the opportunity': have Hong Kong's society and schools failed

    Critics argue that preferences by parents and schools have created a form of "de facto segregation", in which certain campuses in the city, especially those designated for NCS students two...

  6. Hong Kong minorities 'marginalised' in school

    Ethnic minorities would enrol in English-medium "designated schools". Report author Puja Kapai says there has been segregation in schools But the designated schools equipped students with...

  7. Caught Between Hong Kong's Two Systems

    There are now 30,000 ethnic minority students in Hong Kong, from kindergarten to university level. Of the 15,000 enrolled in primary or secondary schools, more than half are at designated schools ...

  8. Percentage of Non-Chinese Students in so-called "designated schools

    The amount of annual grant received, the number of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students by grade and the percentage of NCS students of all students in respect of the schools with school-based support programmes specifically arranged for NCS students (the so-called "designated schools") in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 school years are at Annex A.

  9. PDF 'Segregated schools' only causes further segregation in society

    LC Paper No. CB(4)1486/20-21(06) 'Segregated schools' only causes further segregation in society De facto segregation in schools is an ongoing serious problem in Hong Kong and the adverse effects that it can have on an ethnic minority student are endless.

  10. Hong Kong mock DSE candidates in mainland schools get mixed results

    Private entrants across the border will also be able to take the tests at the designated schools. 4 Hong Kong students bag perfect score in DSE exams, marking record low Lai said four out...

  11. School desegregation in Hong Kong: non-Chinese ...

    To counter the trend of segregated schooling in Hong Kong, the designated school system was abolished in 2013/2014, channelling ethnic minority students into mainstream public schools and ...

  12. Lack of Equal Opportunities

    De facto segregation in some public schools still remains serious though the Education Bureau removed the label "designated schools" from the public education system in the 2013/14 school year. This is because no measures have been taken to address the over-concentration of ethnic minority students in some public schools.

  13. Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong

    19 Yuet Wah Street. Kwun Tong, Kowloon. Hong Kong. Early Years Campus. 285 Hong Kin Road, Tui Min Hoi, Sai Kung, New Territories. Welcome to Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong, an outstanding international school in Hong Kong and part of the Nord Anglia family of schools.

  14. Types of School

    Some are the so called 'elite' schools, which teach in English but also require native levels of Chinese. Children from non-Chinese speaking families are in a small minority at these schools. Other EMI schools include the 'former designated schools', which were set up to cater for the needs of Hong Kong's ethnic minority students ...

  15. Designated schools: more harm than good?

    Extra subsidies of up to HK$600,000 a year are available to designated schools. In 2012, the Education Bureau provided HK$16.4 million to 20 primary schools and 10 secondary schools. In 2013, the expenditure increased slightly to HK1$16.5 million.

  16. 30% of Hong Kong international schools expect expat applications to

    Hong Kong schools to woo more mainland Chinese students at second education expo. Among the 68 schools, 20 institutions, or 29.4 per cent, anticipated an annual decrease of 13 per cent in ...

  17. Hong Kong

    Hong Kong schools represent a hybrid of British and Chinese educational traditions. Until the 1960s, schooling in Hong Kong was an elite affair. A single university admitted only 100 to 200 students per year. ... Mainstream schools receive designated funding to implement the jurisdiction-wide 3-Tier Intervention Model for students with special ...

  18. The New Thing in Hong Kong's Public Schools: White Students

    At Hong Kong's international schools, like this one, the student body is becoming increasingly Chinese. ... High schools are typically designated either as English-language or Cantonese-language ...

  19. Transport Department

    Designated Driving Schools Designated Driving Improvement Schools Note: The designation of Royal School of Motoring and Maritime Training Limited (Address: Unit 15A, 15th Floor, Hody Commercial Building, 6-6A Hart Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon) by the Commissioner for Transport as a driving improvement school has been expired on 14 June 2023.

  20. The Association of English Medium Secondary Schools

    The AEMSS was founded in 2000, and is now representing around 100 secondary schools adopting English as the medium of instruction in Hong Kong. We aim at promoting the use of English in schools and we are also involved in planning the future development of English medium schools in collaboration with the Government.

  21. HK students to take DSE in two mainland schools

    PressReader. Catalog; For You; China Daily (Hong Kong) HK students to take DSE in two mainland schools 2024-02-08 - By ATLAS SHAO atlasshao@chinadaily­hk.com . In March, 110 secondary six Hong Kong students will become the first from the city to take their college entrance exam on the Chinese mainland, after the Hong Kong Examinatio­ns and Assessment Authority approved two schools in ...

  22. 129 Mainland higher education institutions to admit Hong Kong ...

    In addition, eligible Hong Kong students enrolled in undergraduate programmes of designated Mainland institutions can apply for a means-tested subsidy or a non-means-tested subsidy under the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme. Application details for the 2022/23 academic year will be announced in mid-2022.

  23. Yale's Stephen Roach Says "Hong Kong Is Over"

    Stephen Roach, Senior Research Scholar of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, discusses his recent Financial Times essay on Hong Kong's demise as a global financial hub and also weighs ...

  24. Hong Kong school principals call for subsidies to offset costs under

    Instead of putting designated bags in all classrooms, many schools are planning to buy the 100-litre ones, priced at HK$11 each, to collect bags of rubbish across campuses as a cost-saving measure.

  25. Messi insists Hong Kong no-show was due to injury, not politics

    The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner stayed on the bench throughout Inter Miami's 4-1 win against a Hong Kong select XI on February 4. His no-show drew boos and calls for refunds from thousands of fans who had shelled out large sums to see the World Cup-winning captain play in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

  26. Hong Kong students taking DSE must wear masks while candidates with

    Coronavirus: Hong Kong children bear the cost of missing school, as more are diagnosed with learning problems Authorities will set up a designated exam centre for candidates who test positive for ...

  27. Hong Kong Is Over Unless China Fixes Its Own Economy, Roach Says

    Stephen Roach, Senior Research Scholar of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, discusses his recent Financial Times essay on Hong Kong's demise as a global financial hub and also ...

  28. Yale Law School's Roach on Hong Kong's future

    Yale Law School Senior Fellow Stephen Roach discusses Hong Kong's future and China's economic outlook. He speaks with Yvonne Man and Stephen Engle on "Bloomberg Markets: China Open".

  29. Hong Kong police arrest 16-year-old boy on suspicion of attacking

    Hong Kong police have arrested a 16-year-old boy who allegedly attacked his father with a fruit knife after being woken up for school. The alleged attack occurred at the family's home in Sau ...