Education lawmaker calls for re-evaluation of slashing $2,500 student grant amid fiscal deficit

As the government is considering cuts to education spending for the upcoming budget plan, education lawmaker Chu Kwok-keung suggested introducing asset tests over the HK$2,500 student grant.

The non-means-tested one-off student grant of HK$2,500 has been provided to eligible students from secondary day-school, primary, kindergarten and special students since 2019 to reduce parents’ financial burden in covering education expenses.

Chu believes the subsidy could be lowered as offering allowances to students across various educational levels could result in substantial costs, noting that the total amount spent on student subsidies reaches approximately HK$2 billion annually.

Chu stated that most parents used the subsidy to prepare for the school year, such as purchasing school uniforms and books. 

Additionally, Chu proposed introducing an asset review, believing it would reduce regular expenditures under the fiscal deficit.