Looming Hong Kong university spot crunch as 150,000 more pupils eligible over 5 years
Hong Kong experienced a 'baby boom' from 2006 to 2012, partly due to children born to mainland parents in the city after a landmark court ruling in 2001. This ruling declared that newborns should be given the right of abode regardless of their parents' immigration status, and most of the children went to the mainland for their foundational education.
After the government banned mainland women from giving birth in the city in 2013, the number of newborns dropped drastically to 790.
According to the government, 150,139 children – born from 2008 to 2012 to parents who were not Hong Kong residents – would be eligible to apply for subsidised university places after sitting the Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) exams in the next five years.
'They now come back to sit the DSE to compete for university places and they can compete for subsidised university places,' Danny Lai Tsz-kit, co-president of Greater Bay Area Education Resource Centre, said on a radio programme.
'But the number of subsidised university places has remained at 15,000. Should the number be reviewed?'
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