Incentives to boost birthrate welcomed by pregnant women and kindergarten principals

Some mothers-to-be welcomed the newborn baby bonus announced in the Policy Address, while kindergarten principals said this could stimulate births along with addressing the under-enrolment issue.

Wendy, who is in her 35 weeks pregnant, will benefit from the new policy. She said the cash bonus of HK$20,000 would be an encouragement and support for pregnant women and couples planning to have children.

"The aid represents the value of mothers or childbirth in society as well as promotes fertility," she said.

The birth rate has declined in recent years, resulting in kindergartens cutting staff and being at risk of ceasing operations due to under-enrolment. A kindergarten principal believed the HK$20,000 measure could also help to address the issue.

"The enrollment issue for the kindergartens is dire,"  principal Lam Yuk-ping said. "but now the government encouraging childbearing will undoubtedly benefit the education sector."

However, some experts said boosting the fertility rate requires a comprehensive plan rather than relying on a single measure.

"Now is a good start with some financial aid," says Paul Yip Siu-fai, professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong. "But how about the education and child-rearing support, like more holidays for parents to spend with their growing children?"

Yip added that the current fall in the birth rate is attributed to people marrying late or choosing not to marry. He suggests encouraging young couples to marry is also a way to improve the general fertility rate.

Speaking at the television forum on Policy Address tonight, Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu said Hong Kong's fertility rate has plummeted, with the average number of children per couple falling to a new low of 0.9, among the lowest level in the world.

He said government policies alone cannot boost fertility substantially, but it is imperative for the government to set a firm policy direction to encourage childbearing amid a persistently low birth rate.

He emphasized that cash rewards are not the only measure to encourage childbirth and that requires a series of actions.

The Hong Kong leader further pointed out that there was an opinion to allocate HK$10,000 during the discussion, but it was deemed that HK$20,000 was more appropriate.