The Education Bureau anticipates that the number of six-year-old primary one eligible children residing in Hong Kong will decrease from 48,600 to 37,500 between 2025 and 2031, indicating a continuing structural decline in the school-age population. Deputy Secretary for Education, Lee Bik-sai, wrote today (March 12) that to ensure students enjoy a stable learning environment, the Bureau will adopt a "soft landing" strategy to gradually reduce the number of schools, concentrate resources, and enhance educational quality in response to changing times.
In this context, schools that have not been approved to establish subsidized primary one classes under the "Primary One Admission System" may apply for options to participate in the following year's allocation after obtaining special approval from the Education Bureau. If a school does not choose any option or if the selected option is not approved, the Bureau will cease all forms of funding to that school starting from the third academic year after it is denied the establishment of subsidized primary one classes. Students who have not completed their primary education at that school will be provided with placement arrangements to continue their studies at other public schools.
The Bureau is optimizing the options and application arrangements available to schools, including expanding the eligibility for "merger" and "suspension of all or part of grades" options to all subsidized primary schools in Hong Kong. Subsidized primary schools approved to operate primary one classes on a private basis must continue to operate those classes for six academic years until the students complete the full six-year primary curriculum. Schools that were previously approved to establish private primary one classes but fail to gain approval for these classes again within the next six academic years will not be able to reapply for private primary one classes.
Lee Bik-sai emphasized that the structural decline in the school-age population is an undeniable fact. Schools must maintain an appropriate number of overall students and classes to ensure the integrity of the overall class structure, providing a stable teaching environment for students. She reiterated that the welfare of students will be the top priority, and the Bureau will maintain close communication with relevant educational organizations to provide appropriate support, ensuring the smooth implementation of the plan and a stable transition to safeguard students' learning interests.
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