Fierce competition to secure spots at top Hong Kong schools persists despite emigration wave, parents say
- Parents lined up at La Salle Primary School before 9am to check if their child had won a place at prestigious institution
- ‘I was worried as there weren’t many places in this round,’ homemaker Milky Wong says
Hong Kong parents have said intense competition to secure a spot at a prestigious school has persisted despite the number of pupils who scored their top choice reaching a 16-year high amid a recent emigration wave.
Ten parents arrived at the elite La Salle Primary School before 9am on Monday to check if their child’s name had appeared on a board showing a list of admitted students, despite the results being available online.
“I was worried as there weren’t many places in this round,” homemaker Milky Wong said. “It’s definitely not a case of less competition these days, as those from other districts will also apply. Mainland Chinese students will come too.”
Wong added that she had spent as much as HK$30,000 (US$3,847) a month on kindergarten fees and extracurricular activities for her son, including Chinese, English and maths tutoring, as well as swimming and drumming lessons.
The mother described the combination of classes as the “basic” requirement demanded by primary schools, adding that a decline in the student population in the city had not eased competition.
The Education Bureau announced last week that of the 42,277 children who applied for discretionary places in government and aided primary schools for the next academic year, 21,086, or 49.9 per cent, had been accepted, up from 49.6 per cent last year.
The admission rate has continued to increase amid an emigration wave that began in 2021, resulting in a declining student population and fewer births.
