More Hong Kong schools at risk of closing as authorities tighten class size rules
Hong Kong education authorities will tighten the requirements for public secondary schools to continue operating as the student population declines by raising the minimum enrolment number and cutting some of the alternative options allowing them to survive starting in September.
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Members of the sector said on Tuesday they expected the new measures would speed up the closure of less popular schools, while students with poor academic performance might even be asked to repeat the same grade to meet the enrolment threshold.
The Education Bureau, which announced the measures in a circular to secondary schools, said the move aimed to protect students' interests.
'The Education Bureau estimates that the number of Form One students aged 12 will drop from 58,800 in 2025 to 49,800 in 2031,' Ida Lee Bik-sai, Ida, deputy secretary for education, wrote in Insider's Perspectives, the bureau's online blog.
'The Education Bureau must … revise the arrangements related to class structure and support measures to safeguard students' learning interests.'
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The measures included raising the minimum number of students required for secondary school to operate a Form One class from 25 to 27 starting in the new term in September. The threshold will be further raised to 29 in 2026-27.
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